Proverbially Harry Potter
by JediC8H10N4O2
Summary: A collection of stories using the characters from Harry Potter and English proverbs as inspiration.
1. A Little Knowledge is Dangerous

So, a few of my stories (at least, the ones I like the best) are one shots that explore the Harry Potter universe. Mostly, explore the Harry Potter universe through English proverbs, like 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' and 'for want of a nail...' I decided it would be interesting to pick more proverbs, and see how characters living their lives by them would potentially change things. Each chapter will be a different proverb, and possibly be unrelated to any others and might be AU.

Disclaim: I do not own Harry Potter, nor English proverbs. If I owned Harry Potter, I'd have more money than I do, and if I owned the English proverbs, I'm pretty sure I'd be confused by this thing called the 'internet'.

I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but whatever.

* * *

A Little Bit of Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing - Hermione, magic, the world, and time travel

* * *

Hermione Granger absolutely loved to learn. She was good at it, with a mind for recalling facts and a drive to know the truth. Hermione thrived in an environment where she needed to discover, to puzzle things out.

But that's where the danger lay. Hermione had always loved to learn, and teachers loved her for it. So she had grown up knowing that she was _smart_. That she knew more than others her own age. That the teachers treated her _special_ for knowing the truth of the world. And so Hermione believed that she was special because she was smart, and that accommodations would be made so that she could continue to be smart and learn when other students goofed off or struggled.

And she was right. Her third year at Hogwarts, she was given a time turner. A magical artifact designed to allow one to move backwards through time. She was given this powerful artifact because she deserved it to learn more. There were rules that she was given, but Hermione listened and internalized them. Basically they were for the lesser beings, those who were not as special as her. Hermione would never discuss out loud her disdain for idiots, for those who would not learn as she did, but it was there, in the back of her mind. Hardened by years of having no friends, buoyed by the belief that others weren't ready for her, that she was too good for them because that's what her parents said, and her teachers. And as far as Hermione knew, they spoke truth.

So Hermione listened to the rules, matching them to the rules in all the fictional books she read on time travel, knowing that idiots who didn't follow the rules always caused the problems.

But she was no idiot. No, she was Hermione. She was the 'smartest witch her age', she was 'a brilliant student'. She knew more than everyone else. She would make no mistakes like those in books and movies. There was just one thing Hermione didn't know, had never learned.

She never learned that she was merely human. In her arrogance at knowing school subjects, of reading books above her level, she began to look down on the idiot protagonist. Doesn't the protagonist know that that decision will cause a massive mistake? The protagonist can blame no one but himself for his failure. Hermione, in her infinite wisdom, knew she would never be that idiot protagonist.

No, if she was going along with stories, making her life parallel a book, her best friend Harry Potter was the protagonist. He had an enemy, had faced him twice. He was the rich orphan with a poor family life, abandoned, with great expectations from an entire world on his shoulders. Ron was the sidekick, the goofy one. He gave the protagonist the love he needed, came from humble beginnings. She was the wise one, the one with all the knowledge. She came up with the plans, made sure everyone was okay. Sometimes, she even thought of herself as the mentor, exasperated with how stupid her friends could be while still dealing out sage advise. As the mentor and wise one, she had all the knowledge needed.

Which is what lead to now. Hermione had decided, in her infinite wisdom and role as wise mentor, that she should help the protagonist. Clearly, the protagonist could not know about time travel, as that would automatically lead to problems. So Harry couldn't know of her time-turner, but she could use it to help him. That wasn't abuse of a priceless magical artifact. She was special, she was learning, she would still be learning. So Hermione had researched time-turners, had asked her parents for money for books, or to order the books she was too young to order. After all, she was at school, and her parents did not know the world she was in. She could just tell them she couldn't get the books, not why.

And at last Hermione had a plan. A perfect plan, that couldn't go wrong. After all, she was her. She was smart, she was never wrong. Everyone told her that, people were angry because of that. She knew she may have lacked social skills, but she made up for that by being smart. And Hermione decided that she was going to help Harry. She was going to give him a better life, a reward for being her friend. This would allow him to be less likely to hunger for love, perhaps become friends with her before Ron, and thus changing the focus of their group from fun and sports to academics. This Harry would be more respectful of adults, and less likely to charge into situations he was woefully under prepared for, forcing her to do so much unnecessary work instead of focusing on class work. In the end, everyone would benefit.

And so Hermione, knowing that Harry's aunt took him in but never made him feel welcome, went back in time for a brief moment. A brief moment, on November 2nd, when Petunia first saw Harry. She cast a spell, certain that in the craziness of the defeat of Voldemort, it would go unnoticed. After all, it's not like it was a showy spell she used, or even illegal, and the Ministry had more important things to deal with.

Hermione influenced Petunia to accept Harry, to love him. Hermione smiled as Petunia looked at Harry, a tender smile morphing out of her previous horrified look. Now, Petunia would treat Harry right, and he wouldn't cling to the first person he met as a friend. And so she faded from Privet drive, excited to see what her new world was like.

Except something was wrong. She was floating, hovering. She was watching students of Hogwarts and they were ignoring her. And she was stuck. Not stuck, but there was definitely a place in the castle that she didn't use to feel attached to that she felt attached to. The bathroom where Harry and Ron defeated the troll to save her. And when ever she tried to speak, no words came out of her mouth. She didn't understand, this wasn't suppose to happen! She was Hermione Granger! She hadn't changed the history of the world. She hadn't stopped Voldemort from existing because that would obviously lead to devastating consequences. She had let the Potters die. She hadn't done anything wrong!

And Hogwarts sighed as another ghost joined her fellows, another being who had decided that she was exempt from rules. Hermione, for all her knowledge, was just a child. She was merely human. She had decided her friends were the way the were because they were, just like she was smart because that is how she was born. She hadn't realized that the flashes of other personalities in her friends were possible people they could have been under different circumstances, just like she never admitted that she cloaked herself in the belief she was right because otherwise where did she go wrong getting friends?

And Hermione spent the rest of time, angry and confused, watching the wizarding world change, while not understanding what had happened. She didn't understand why Harry wore the badge of a snake. Why Ron hung out with Dean and Seamus. She didn't understand how Malfoy and Harry had become so close, or even why Neville had joined them, despite being a Gryffindor.

She had only had a little knowledge of why the world was the way it was, and thought that gave her the answers to everything. She didn't know why time-turners were dangerous, why people didn't go back. She had over looked the possibilities of things going wrong because nothing she did ever went wrong. She was smart, she was special, she was the wise mentor. She had learned the mechanics, fairly simple. She had asked Harry questions of his life. She had mapped out what the best thing to do was.

If only she had known that the reason she could only do what she knew she had done with a time-turner was because of the price Time demanded. For any change made to the timeline, Time demanded the death of the traveler. It didn't matter the reasons, or how carefully planned, Time was a harsh mistress, and demanded payment for change.

And so Time watched as Harry grew up, loved by the Dursleys, taught to advance his social rank, allowed to use his mind. Harry grew up knowing that the Dursleys were better than others, and despite the fact he wasn't born one, he was chosen by them, and needed to keep up the name. A school for magic? A new world? Harry wouldn't disappoint them. He would not discuss magic with them as it made them uncomfortable (well, at least the parents. Dudley and he had long since discovered the benefits) but the culture...

Harry knew and aspired to be one of those of higher rank, and he knew how to do it. He met Draco as he shopped on his own, discovered the wizarding culture that existed. He bought books to learn, genealogies he memorized. And he parted with Draco as friendly. And on the train, he turned his nose up at the clearly poor boy who wanted to join him, saying the seat was taken by a friend. And when a small brown hair boy came asking about a toad, well, Harry recognized him as Neville Longbottom. And saw the opportunity to make a friend with someone who would become politically powerful. His grandmother was already powerful, and that would go to Neville when he came of age. And he offered the seat to Neville, told him to just let the toad be and see if it came back. After all, the two commiserated, toads were so outdated. And if that was the best present his uncle could give him, then clearly the uncle wasn't worth much. Harry was quick to reassure his nervous friend that he would be friends no matter what house they were sorted into.

And when Harry's housemates tried to insult Neville, Harry quietly asked them how stupid they were, for Neville would be politically powerful and remember those who made his life unbearable. And when the Gryffindors, minus a young Hermione, teased him, he would join his friend Harry.

And Hermione was left alone. Because Ron and Dean and Seamus were friends because they were all boys who loved sports, and Parvati and Lavender could not stand her. And so Hermione was the same, and the same thing happened, except after Ron insulted her, Harry silenced her because 'it's so unseemly to cry so loud' and no one rescued her from the troll. And no one mourned. The teachers asked about why Ms. Granger was in the bathroom, and the girls and boys of Gryffindor stood together. They didn't know, she was often alone. Maybe she was, as the girls said delicately, dealing with hormones. No one mentioned Ron's insult. None mentioned Harry's spell because he was a decent bloke, and everyone liked him over Hermione anyways. And since Hermione died under a silencing spell, she couldn't speak to say the truth even though she came back as a ghost. And she was easy to ignore, because she was quiet, and everyone forgot about the young Gryffindor murdered by a troll. And in what would have been her third year, nobody noticed that she was agitated. They ignored her following Harry and Ron. They lived with ghosts all year round, a silent one nobody liked was ignored.

And Hermione watched as Voldemort came back. Second year, no one saved Ginny, and Voldemort-as-Tom-Riddle was given life. And Hermione watched as Harry told Voldemort-as-Tom-Riddle he didn't care about him, would not fight him, was not his enemy. She watched as Voldemort-the-spirit regained life as Peter Pettigrew escaped the wizarding world to avoid Voldemort-as-Tom-Riddle only to be stuck serving Voldemort-the-Spirit. And she watched as the two Voldemorts started to fight each other, for Voldemort-as-Tom-Riddle was disgusted by Voldemort-the-spirit, and Voldemort-the-spirit could not handle a better looking, also powerful Voldemort.

In the end, the Voldemorts killed each other, for Time did not like one soul in two bodies for long.

And Hermione watched as Harry, Neville and Draco became powerful politicians, and changed the focus of the wizarding world from blood, to money. After all, as Harry said in his introductory speech as Minister for Magic, why care about blood, when money makes the world move?

And Time watched Hermione, laughing silently, as Hermione discovered that she didn't know everything. Hermione watched as the wizarding world changed, and stayed the same. She watched as the world forgot her. And Time, being fickle and enjoying the pain Hermione had, allowed her to see the future she _could_ have had. A future with more friends, a family, a successful career. Instead, she was nothing.

Hermione thought she knew enough to make her important, but she only knew a little that made her useful.


	2. No Man is an Island

AN: This is a bit more introspective, and could possibly fit in cannon. Or at least an AU close to cannon.

Don't own, because if I did there would be some drastic changes to the last few books. Or it would just have a different protagonist. And probably not be as good, so I suppose it's best I don't own it and I'm merely borrowing.

* * *

Proverb: No man is an island.

No man is an island, but sometimes people need to be reminded of that.

* * *

Harry was sitting on the Astronomy Tower, where Snape had just killed Dumbledore. He had covered himself in his cloak, not wanting to be found or disturbed. There was a lot of thinking he needed to do.

Five. The number of people whose death he had caused. His parents, because of that stupid prophesy, Cedric for offering to share the cup and not being fast enough, Sirius for falling into Voldemort's trap, and now Dumbledore. Dumbledore, who had wasted his strength on trying to get a horcrux that wasn't a horcrux. Dumbledore, who tried to protect Harry (but for what reason? He was going to die anyway. A teenager can't rely on luck against an older, more learned creature.) Harry had failed them all. He couldn't save Dumbledore, or Sirius or Cedric, and Barty Crouch, and that poor muggle from the Riddle house. He wasn't a savior, he was a failure. Hot headed, an idiot, not paying enough attention to the things that matter and too much to that which didn't.

He needed saving more times than he saved others. He put his loved ones in harms way. He was no hero. He could never be a hero. He would just cause more death and destruction where ever he went to who ever he cared about. It would be easiest to not care. Unfeeling. Let everything wash over him so that he could do what he needed to.

Voldemort had to be stopped. That was a given. Harry had to be the one to stop him. That was prophesized. No more would he let others fight his battles. No more would he sit back as others attempted to correct his mistakes. It was time to go on the offensive; destroy the horcruxes before Voldemort discovered it.

And the best way to do this? On his own.

He nearly got Ron and Hermione killed; first year, second year, third year, fifth year. Neville and Luna in fifth year. Ginny in fifth year and by dating her, for however brief that had been. He needed to be alone. He couldn't risk anyone's life other than his own.

He'd break up with Ginny, using Hedwig. He'd tell Hedwig to stay with the Weasleys. Maybe have Rita write an article about how much Ginny hated him for it. (But it was for her own protection. If she had no connection to him, she would not be harmed). He could get away with not talking to anyone for a few months, then leave on one of Dung's shifts. He'd try and find the horcruxes on his own, and keep his friends out of it.

This was between him and Voldemort.

And if Harry was being honest, he didn't think he would live through the encounter. All he needed to do was make Voldemort mortal. Someone else could take the killing slot. Maybe Neville. Maybe Neville was the real Chosen One. Harry got lucky, Neville worked hard. Harry goofed off, Neville was focused. Maybe the Neville from first year was not the chosen one, but now. Now Neville seemed more the part of a hero than Harry.

Neville had never been responsible for people's deaths. He had not lead anyone into dangerous territory on a dream and a half mad house elf's word. Neville did what needed to be done.

Harry had his head in the sky, flying.

So Harry was going to do the only thing he could do. Go back to the Dursley's, then leave. Go into hiding. Find the horcruxes (which would be so much harder without Hermione's brain, but he couldn't ask her to join him. It wasn't her fight). Destroy them. And finally, confront Voldemort and take as many Death Eaters out as possible (his heart ached as he heard a ghost of Ron's voice, eager to fight the evil doers). But this was _his _fight. Nobody else. He was responsible for everyone who came with him, and he could barely take care of himself. He couldn't count on luck forever.

_Tomorrow_, Harry thought drowsily to himself. _Tomorrow I leave everyone I care for behind to protect them. No one else will die for me, instead of me. I will face my destiny with my head held proud._

The quiet night and twinkling stars, and the glow of the moon soon lulled Harry to sleep.

* * *

When Harry awoke, it was to whispered voices, and a warm bed. He looked up and saw the outline of brown and red before his glasses were placed on his face.

Ron and Hermione were looking at him, concerned. He soaked in their looks, knowing that after leaving Hogwarts it was unlikely they would meet again. Hermione, noticing he was awake, began to chide him. Her concern obvious as she complained about him sleeping outside. Ron, still trying to stay on Hermione's good side, merely nodded when Hermione said his name. Harry listened to Hermione, and when she was finished he smiled.

"Don't change, Hermione," he said, smiling at her. Instead of reassuring Ron and Hermione that he was fine, this seemed to make them more concerned.

"That sounded like a good-bye," Ron noted, a frown on his face. Harry shrugged.

"Well, we are leaving Hogwarts today for the summer, and everything is going to change with Professor Dumbledore's death," Harry said, attempting to distract them. It didn't work.

"No, usually your summer good-byes are less...depressing, and more 'get me as soon as you can'," Hermione said, Ron nodding. Harry cast about for something more to say.

"Well, with what just happened..." he tried, but Ron and Hermione shook their heads.

"We've known you for nearly seven years. We know all your moods and faces," Ron said.

"You're 'I'm going to do something stupid', 'I'm going to save a friend', 'I'm going to be stupidly noble'..." Hermione started.

"Also the 'I'm going to catch the snitch', and your favorite one, that you are wearing right now..." continued Ron.

"The 'I'm responsible for every bad thing that has ever happened in this world and I'm about to do something stupidly noble on my own to fix it'" Ron and Hermione chorused together. Harry stared at them before cracking a smile.

"Maybe I'm a little predictable," he allowed, before frowning. "But that..."

"Look mate, we've been with you for all of Hogwarts. Through trolls and snakes, and crazy professors," Ron started.

"When the world hated you and when it loved you. Through Voldemort, and tests, and dragons and potions," Hermione continued.

"If we haven't actually left yet, why would we leave now? Wouldn't fourth year make more sense? Or fifth?" Ron asked.

"Or first year, when you decided to stop a professor on your own. Looking back, not one of our better ideas," Hermione said, smiling.

"You've saved my sister and my dad, and helped my brothers. Mum's practically adopted you and we're pretty sure you're her favorite," Ron added.

"But what I'm going to do is dangerous, and..." Harry started, trying to make them see.

"And we chose to help. It is our decision to make, not yours," Hermione stated, looking him in the eye. "This war doesn't just effect you. Even if you try and pull away from us, we'd still be targets."

"My family is kinda vocal about our opinions, and Hermione's muggleborn. We'd rather be targets with you and doing something to stop the war than be targets just sitting around uselessly," Ron agreed.

"Harry, no man is an island. You can't go through life alone, and you don't have to," Hermione said, resting her arm on Harry's shoulder.

"We chose you, we will keep choosing you, and unless you decide to join You-Know-Who, well, you're stuck with us mate," Ron smiled lopsidedly. "Besides, who's going to keep you out of trouble if you don't bring Hermione?"

"And who's going to remind you to take a break if you forget Ron?" Hermione agreed.

Harry looked from one face to another. _It was weird,_ he thought, _to see that look directed at me. Not since Sirius..._

Harry took a breath. Yes, he could try to go it alone, but he never really had before, and there was really no reason to start now. Three heads were better than none.

"So, I guess we'll need a plan..." Harry said, grinning up at his closest friends. They grinned back.


	3. Keep your Friends Close

Disclaim: I own nothing! Except for a few useless material items I bought without thinking. And possibly my soul. Still haven't heard back on whether that was a loan or not.

* * *

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer - Harry Potter had learned the hard way that it was better to be with the enemy, then fighting him. The fact that it allows him to cause chaos and not be blamed? That's just a bonus.

* * *

Harry Potter grew up with his aunt and uncle, who never pretended to like him. That was fine with him, he didn't like them either. However, he was kind of tired of always being picked on by his cousin, and his cousin's friends. There were only so many times he could play Harry Hunting without wanting to hurt someone. The only problem with that is that he then got blamed and punished even though it was clearly self defense. Not fair, but also not like he could complain to anyone. He thought that his life was just going to be Harry Hunting with a few breaks. Until he accidentally overheard a few lines of a movie that Dudley was _definitely_ not suppose to be watching.

'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'.

He puzzled over the possible meaning at first, because keeping your enemies close is just begging to get hurt. It wasn't until Harry was serving tea at Aunt Petunia's 'gardening' club meeting that it became clear. Each and every member of the club would gossip about everyone else, and never stayed on the same side. They were always looking at each other suspiciously when they thought no one else was looking. But since Aunt Petunia had them over, they couldn't exactly insult her, could they? That would be in 'bad taste', and that's what they all cared about.

And that opened up a whole new world to young Harry Potter.

Granted, it took awhile for Petunia and Vernon to notice, but they tried to ignore him when they could. It was when he was playing video games with Dudley and laughing and having fun that they had to stop and wonder what happened. Had their plan worked?

They were so confused over the about face that had happened to their son and nephew, and happy that their son was happy that they did nothing. And so Harry Potter kept his cousin Dudley closer than before.

Any way, life was good to Harry, and he was allowed to move into Dudley's second bedroom, because Dudley threw a fit about how long it took to get Harry up on Saturdays to play games. And Petunia and Vernon could not deny their son anything, no matter how much they didn't want to give it to him. Being in Dudley's gang made it so that he wasn't bullied, he helped Dudley with his homework so that Dudley wouldn't get tired of being nice (although a few years after it all started Dudley could hardly remember not hanging out with his cousin. He was always there.) For Harry, life was looking up.

And then he received the strangest letter. About a magical school. And after all the nonsense that happened when his uncle and aunt tried to prevent him from discovering it, Harry was off to a brand new world. But he remembered the phrase that had made his childhood bearable.

On the Hogwarts Express, he met two boys: one with red hair and a ready smile, and a blonde who oozed confidence. And Harry, based on his past and their actions, shook the hand of the one that he did not like, because better to be close and to watch. If it meant that the red head stormed out of the car, or that two human walls walked in, or that the bleached blonde boy started to sprout something stupid, well, how was this different from before?

When sorting time came, he put on the hat, knowing exactly where to go. After all, everyone had said, Slytherin breeds Dark Wizards, and Dark Wizards wouldn't like Harry Potter. So better to keep them close. The hat just chuckled and laughed at the cunning plot in Harry's head. _As good as the phrase, remember that sometimes real friends are needed too._ Harry figured he'd understand later.

He never did regret being in Slytherin. Oh, he _hated_ most of the people in his house, and his Head of House was _loathed_, but Harry was safe, in a kind of strange way. After the first prank that targeted Slytherin happened that year, and Harry heard the mutters of 'those damn Weasleys' he knew what he would do. After all, what person would prank his own house? So he played some games with his fellow students, and got the Weasley twins blamed. He escaped all notice, at least for that.

Unfortunately, Harry was famous. And he didn't exactly realize what that would mean. Because there were three houses that hated him on principle just because he was supposedly good and now had supposedly turned bad. It didn't really bother him, he just got even when he could, but life would be a little nicer if his enemies had the decency to all be in one place.

Oh, and he might have made a friend. One of his yearmates, a boy named Blaise, would nod to him. As opposed to Malfoy who clung and ranted, and Pansy who moped and sat, and Grecint Croyle, the two human walls that Harry never bothered to learn the real names for. Nobody seemed to care, and they didn't particularly notice when Harry slipped up and addressed them by 'Croyle'. But Blaise, he was distant and cool, and a possibility.

And time went on, with Harry causing mischief and mayhem for his whole house. He cost them the House cup (although no one would know it) and he cost them Quidditch as he messed with the robes of the Slytherin team. But only for the games against Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Blaise and Harry became better friends, standing back in the common room and laughing at the pathetic plots the self proclaim 'best students/people/Slytherins' came up with.

But Harry did this little thing, where he didn't insult anybody to their face. Why make an enemy when you didn't have to? So as the years passed, and generally people began to forget that he existed. He made sure that he was never where he wasn't suppose to be. After all, heroes had enemies. So he was just as surprised as everyone else when it was anounced Professor Quirrel was dead. And he was appropriately sad when Ginny Weasley was found dead. Fourth year when he was forcibly entered into the Tri-Wizard tournament, he spent most of his time trying to figure out who was his unnamed enemy. He was appropriately aloft from his fellow champions, and tried to not outdo any of them.

Although in the end, he was still whisked away to a graveyard to participate in a ritual to raise his definite enemy. And so when Voldemort asked Harry Potter to join his side, as a non-marked follower who would undermine Dumbledore, he said yes.

He sabotaged the effort, not out of any concern for the people of the wizarding world, but because he wanted revenge. It worked until Voldemort discovered that Snape was a spy, and he lost his scapegoat. His wasn't particularly devastated at the death of Snape, although others were. After all, Snape was an enemy, and that was one less enemy to worry about. He and Blaise watched as the Slytherins marked themselves, branded his symbol on him. They watched the resistance, and then Harry had the opportunity he needed. Voldemort used the blood of an enemy. His blood. Harry was able to search Malfoy Manner for a book that would have what he needed. And he found it.

A ritual that would call his blood back. That would punish the stealer with a fate worse than death.

And so the war ended, and no one knew who ended it, so everyone just continued on with their lives. Many of Harry's yearmates were thrown in jail, for they had the brand. People again ignored Harry, for he had never done anything amazing. And Harry was happy.

He may not have had friends, but his enemies were dead, or in jail, and he was free to be himself.

He and Blaise kept the same relationship until both of their deaths. No one went to Harry's funeral, which is what he wanted. After all, being a symbol for an entire world is painting a target on your back.

Harry's life wasn't easy, but it sure as hell wasn't as hard as it could have been.


	4. Be Careful What You Wish For

Disclaim: Do not own, if I did, there would be a lightsaber fight between Voldemort and Harry in the graveyard. And Sirius would live. I'd also have money.

* * *

Be careful what you wish for - Ron finds himself the boy who lived. Except, life isn't what he expected.

* * *

Ron Weasley had always been jealous of his friend Harry Potter. Now, don't get him wrong, he liked Harry a lot. It's just, Ron would like to have some money, and he would like to be known as someone other than 'Bill/Charlie/Percy/The Twins brother'. It wasn't that much to ask for really. He just wanted to be like Harry Potter.

The next morning Ron woke up to his door being rattled.

"Ronald, it is past time for you to be up! Breakfast is scheduled in twenty minutes, and then we must go to the platform." a female voice called that was definitely not his mother.

He looked around the room he was in, and decided it wasn't his. There were no Chudley Cannon posters, no sign that the owner of the room had a personality at all. As he got dressed into clothes that were far too nice for his family to afford, he looked in the mirror. There, on his forehead, was a lightning bolt shaped scar. Ron smiled, maybe he was Harrry and that was his aunt, except it was definitely Ron in the mirror. And the woman had called his name.

He walked down the stairs and came upon a landing, and he realized he didn't know where the table was. A stern looking woman with black hair saw him and grabbed his shoulder.

"I don't understand why today of all days you decided to take your time," she was saying as they entered a room were there was a table with food on it. Ron opened his mouth to answer when the woman snapped at him. "That wasn't a question. Children only talk to adults when they are asked questions. Otherwise they remain silent. How many times am I going to have to teach you that Ronald?"

Ron closed his mouth and felt his ears begin to glow. This, wasn't exactly how he pictured living as the boy who lived. He began to shovel food onto his plate, only for the woman to take it away.

"No no no. You do not take so much food for a first serving, and you take equal portions of everything, and no seconds until your plate is clean. This is why I never wanted children! Never listen to anyone," the woman handed Ron a plate back that had significantly less food, and he felt his ears burn brighter. He started to eat.

"Where are your manners today? You know that we have to wait for the Head of the Household. Just because today is the first day of school does not mean you can slack off on your manners! You have a reputation to uphold. You are the boy who lived, when people look at you they must see a poised, elegant young man, not a filthy boy. You are a role model for others, so remember to act that way. If Walburga could see you now... At least her children can eat properly when the time calls for it, since her oldest is responsible for the Black seat. Why, even the Potter children are better than you! You mustn't let others show you up! You are an icon! You must be perfect. Incidentally, I expect you to perform perfectly in all your classes, and I do not want a single owl saying you have done something to get a detention. If I do receive one, than I shall cut off your allowance, and take away your flying privilege until you learn better. I don't know why you are so obstinate," the woman continued. Ron stopped eating and stayed quiet. He didn't know who this person was, and wasn't entirely sure he liked her.

Finally a man came down the stairs and sat at the head of the table. Ron began to eat, making sure to take small bites and close his mouth when he chewed. This seemed to please the woman, and she stopped watching him like a hawk.

"Ignatius, today is the first day of Hogwarts, so Ronald and I will be going to the platform. When I return, are we going to do a press release?" the woman asked the man. The man shrugged.

"If you feel the need," he answered. The woman nodded.

"Good, because I've already told the papers to come here."

Sitting at the breakfast table with two strangers was weird. It was too quiet, depressing. There were no jokes, or yelling, or any of the things Ron was used to. He actually began to miss the twins. All to soon, the food disappeared and the woman stood up.

"Come along now Ronald, we haven't got any time to waste. I trust your trunk has been packed already?" the woman said leaving the room and forcing Ron to run to follow her. "Excellent, we'll arrive on time."

With that, the woman side-along apparated Ron and his trunk to Platform 9 and 3/4. Around them people were yelling and laughing and it was more along the lines of what he was used to. He even spotted Harry, with who must be his parents, four siblings, and Neville and his parents, as well as Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

_Maybe in this timeline, he didn't turn,_ Ron thought. He thought about waving to Harry and Neville, but was almost positive that the lady would frown upon that about as much as she did his table manners. The woman looked around, and seemed to find who she was looking for.

"There, now go stay with them," she said, marching him along towards Ernie McMillan and Zacharias Smith. Ernie immediately started talking about quidditch, with Zacharias adding in a comment here and there, although he mostly sniffed through the whole conversation. Ron found himself stuck in a compartment with them. Every time he tried to leave, Ernie would start a new topic and Ron would have to sit back down. It was the worst train ride to Hogwarts ever. He even missed Percy. There was no laughing, or fun, or at least not real laughter. Ernie seemed to have mastered the art of pretending to laugh without meaning it. Ron sighed and looked out the window.

If he were home, they would have just barely made it, and Fred and George would have come to check on him twice by now, and left one of their pranks mixed in with the candy Harry bought to try and surprise them. In fact, when the trolley lady came by, despite finally having money to spend on frivolous things, he found he wasn't hungry.

When the train finally arrived at Hogwarts, Ron noticed that the robes he was putting on, besides being very expensive and tailored to him, there was no crest. _I guess I'm a first year then. Maybe I can give Hermione a run for best student_. Ron smiled at that. He and Zacharias Smith and Ernie stood around Hagrid, who was greeting Harry and Neville with a smile. Draco Malfoy caught his eye, and before Ron could do his customary scowl at him, he smiled and nodded at him.

Ron was now quite sure something was wrong with the world. Weasley's were not friends with Malfoys. But then, he remembered, Walburga was the portrait at Grimmauld place, and a Black, and a friend of the woman. He quickly stopped this line of thinking, and got into a boat with Ernie, Zacharias, and Malfoy. He had tried to move towards Harry and Neville who seemed to be laughing and planning something with a disapproving Hermione looking on, but Ernie had tugged him into a boat.

He finally had a chance to go to Harry when they were waiting to be let in for the sorting. Neville saw him coming, and nudged Harry. Both of them folded their arms.

"What do you want? Come to insult us? Tell us how we are being horrible purebloods by dismissing tradition and having fun?" Neville asked. Harry snickered while Ron's ears began to burn again.

"I bet he was going to come over here and oh so generously offer us his hand in friendship, as long as we worshiped him," Harry added. A few other students raised in the wizarding world smiled and laughed along. Ron turned away from the two boys, wondering what exactly he had done, or who he was suppose to be in this world. It wasn't long until Professor McGonagall brought them into the Great Hall. Ron noticed that both Harry and Neville's mothers were at the table, and there was no Snape. He breathed a sigh of relief. That was two points for this reality. Money and no Snape. He wondered what they taught. It wasn't until he accidentally looked at the back of Quirrel's head that he realized the downside of the scar. White hot pain shot through the scar, and if this is what Harry felt accidentally meeting eyes with You-Know-Who, then Ron was amazed that his friend could handle so much pain.

He watched the sorting, which went by the way he remembered it, except Hermione went to Ravenclaw. Neville didn't trip or forget he was wearing the hat, and as soon as Harry was sorted, the two of them exchanged a high five. Then something weird happened.

"Prewitt, Ronald"

Ron walked up to the sorting hat, trying to figure out what all this meant. Why wasn't he a Weasley? The hat was lowered onto his head, and Ron was ready for it to declare Gryffindor like last time, when memories of the Ron he was before started to play out in his mind. He could only watch in horror as he became friends with the children of Death Eaters, taunted Harry and Neville at Ministry functions, and used his fame to do anything he wanted. He wasn't even under the age restriction for using a wand. A quick memory of being in the wand shop showed him that he had the same wand he would receive after breaking Charlie's old wand. Not Harry's wand. As he watched his life flash before him, the sorting hat called out his house.

"Slytherin!"

Ron took the sorting hat off and moved over to the Slytherin table. Now that he had seen what he acted like, he noticed all the glares he was getting. _I deserve them, _he thought miserably to himself. _I was acting like Malfoy. I helped campaign for Fudge!_ Malfoy nodded to him, smiling, then turned to watch the rest of the sorting. Zacharias Smith ended up in Slytherin as well, and so did Zabini, Blaise.

_This isn't what I wanted_, Ron thought desperately. _I want my mum and dad! Ginny, the twins, even Percy._

Alas, they were all dead, killed by You-Know-Who when he went after Ron.

* * *

To make a long story short, Ron had a miserable time in Slytherin, having to watch what he said lest his Great-Aunt Lucretia (the woman ordering him around) hear about it. Harry, Neville, Seamus, and Dean became infamous for being able to pull off pranks and not get caught. In Slytherin, they were all disdainful of such plebeian pursuits.

Professor Potter taught potions, Professor Longbottom taught Defense against the Dark Arts. And by Christmas, Harry, Neville, Seamus and Dean ended up protecting the school from Quirrel. Gryffindor won the house cup, while Slytherin won the Quidditch cup. Ron felt very lonely. He couldn't even become friends with Hermione, because she had found a group to hang out with in Ravenclaw, and Ronald Prewitt hadn't been very nice to Terry Boot. So he had no friends, and spent all his time practicing spells (because he couldn't be shown up by a muggleborn. You are the boy-who-lived!)

Year two was just as bad, even more so because there was no _Ginny_, and this time Luna had the book and Hermione brought it to the teacher's attention within the first month. So the basilisk was still alive inside Hogwarts. Harry and Neville were popular among the year group, always smiling, and never pulling any mean pranks. Ron had overheard them say once that Sirius had once done something horrible, and from then on the 'no hurting anyone' prank rule was added to the book.

Year three absolutely nothing happened. Nothing. Ron was just miserable. At this point, he would be glad to listen to Percy drone on about cauldron bottoms, or get a howler from his mother. All the lavish gifts he got meant nothing, since they were all sent by acquaintances who didn't really know him. He wasn't allowed to root for the Cannons, because he had an endorsement deal with Montrose Magpies. He wanted to try out for Keeper, but he didn't want to play quidditch for Slytherin.

Year four came about, and his name came out of the goblet. At first he was thrilled, until he remembered what Harry went through. The other three houses gave him a cold shoulder, although by that point Ron was used to it (he would give anything to be a test subject for the twins). Slytherins congratulated him on getting around the age line, and he gave the polite response (he missed the yelling and screaming and chaos of the Burrow). Barty jr. was caught early on, and admitted to being the one to put Ron's name in. The Aurors, including James Potter and Sirius Black went to the location only to discover the dead body of their friend Peter, with a Dark Mark on his arm. He ended up going to the Yule Ball with Daphne Greengrass, while Hermione went with Krum, Harry went with Luna, and Neville went with Harry's younger sister Dara. Aunt Lucretia didn't let him out of the house that summer, and started working on a marriage contract with the Greengrasses (Good pick Ronald, the right sort of family them. Not like the Potters or the Longbottoms.)

Turns out over the summer, Harry had been kidnapped and used in the same ritual as before, except this time it was brewed by Karkaroff, who had disappeared after Cedric won the tournament. He got an earful for losing to a Hufflepuff, no matter that Cedric was older.

So, year five, Voldemort's back, and Ron was under watch 24/7. Dumbledore came by and spoke to him, since Aunt Lucretia decided to home school him instead of risking his life in the Slytherin dorms. (Ron longed for the DA, and fighting with Hermione). By the end of the year, Voldemort had been defeated and he was allowed back. (Turns out Regulus managed to get a note to Sirius about the Horcruxes, and except the diary, all of them had been destroyed before Ron went to Hogwarts).

Year six and he was forced to be a gentleman and escort Daphne, his betrothed, around Hogsmeade. He watched as the Potters and Longbottoms, and Dean and Seamus, had a snowball fight just outside the town. He watched as Hermione and Harry began to date, both of them having taken ancient runes and arithmancy together (He missed them both, and Ginny and Fred and George. Harry and Neville the pranksters weren't half as amusing as the twins because of the no harm rule). Neville was dating Luna, Seamus dating Lavender, and Dean Parvati. They all seemed to have so much fun. Of course, Ron remembered that he was still a horcrux, so Voldemort could come back.

Which is what happened year seven. He managed to get a foothold in Hogwarts, and Harry and Neville were leading the student resistance while outside, their parents ran the Order of the Phoenix. Ron was at Hogwarts, but apparently word had gotten out that he was not to be harmed. He tried to help protect people as best he could, but as a Slytherin he could only do so much. At the end of the year, Voldemort appeared to everyone in the Great Hall, explaining how he couldn't be killed as long as I live. The students made a retreat, while Voldemort kept a close eye on Ron, making sure his only horcrux wasn't going to die. Finally, Ron managed to get away, and get to where the students were holed up. He told them he wanted to help. Harry and Neville, the clear leaders, looked at each other and nodded.

Harry turned his green eyes on Ron, and Ron gulped.

"This is the only way you can help," he said, and Ron died by Harry's hand from a cutting curse.

Harry then went on to kill Voldemort, everyone watching the glow of brother wands being used against each other. When it seemed hopeless, Nevile threw his wand to Harry and Harry got off another cutting curse. He was yelled at by his parents once they ascertained that he was safe, and he went on to become one of the best Aurors out there, along with his partner Neville. He married a witch he met while on assignment, and had two kids for his parents to spoil. Neville married Susan Bones, another Auror, and had three kids, joking that he had to one-up Harry. And no one called anyone the boy-who-lived or man who won.

* * *

And then Ron woke up to the loud sound of a full Burrow, with explosions coming from the twins room, and his mother screaming at them. He lay in his worn in bed, looked at his decorated walls, and sighed. He'd rather have his family than be Harry Potter, he decided. Being the boy-who-lived can be very isolating.

* * *

AN: Since in Cannon Lily made the sacrifice, so would Mrs. Weasley, which meant he had to go to a Prewitt to protect him. His only relative was Ignatius Prewitt, who had married Lucretia Black, and so he was raised like a pureblood. Since there were two other families of Weasleys, or they weren't in danger of dying out and since there was nothing for Ron to really inherit, Lucretia made sure the Prewitt name would continue. I also imagine she would have milked his fame for all its worth, since she was a Slytherin and she had ambitions. Because of this, Ronald Prewitt would have a bit of an ego, being paraded around as the boy-who-lived, and would do whatever his aunt asked, wanting her approval. Also, Ron's sorting: I know he probably would have been Gryffindor, but the hat accessed his other self's memories, and he was ambitious.


	5. Ask No Question, Hear No Lies

Disclaim: Still not JK Rowling, and definitely not still procrastinating. Nope. Not at all.

I might do another version of ask no questions, hear no lies with Dumbledore and Voldemort from Voldemort's Hogwarts time. I don't think this is my best chapter, but eh.

* * *

Ask no questions, hear no lies - Dumbledore looks at Harry, and doesn't ask about his home life.

* * *

Dumbledore watched as the first years came in. It was entirely too easy to pick out which one was Harry Potter. He watched as the boy was sorted, after fighting with the hat, into Gryffindor. Dumbledore did a lot of watching.

He had portraits who told him of Harry's nightmares, and teachers of his progress. He watched as Harry played quidditch with a face that Dumbledore had never seen on him before. And Dumbledore's stomach dropped. And at the end of the year, when Harry asked if he could stay, Dumbledore didn't ask what his family life was like.

Year two, and half way through the year everyone was blaming Harry for the attacks. The portraits once again reported, but it was easy to see. Harry was sitting away from everyone he could. He was closed off, and every time he heard an insult he flinched. Dumbledore asked if there was anything Harry wanted to tell him. He didn't ask if he was alright.

Year three, and Dumbledore is worried. Sirius Black might try to get Harry. And so he keeps a better watch on him, until he doesn't. Dumbledore doesn't ask Harry where he's been. And when Sirius leaves on the back of a Hippogriff, Dumbledore doesn't ask why Harry looks so devastated when he hardly knew the man. As Dumbledore pretends to listen to Severus yell about Sirius, he rues the fact that he's gotten so good at not asking questions.

Year four, and the question Dumbledore asks is if he put his name in. Harry said no, white with fright, shaking. After the first task, Dumbledore doesn't ask if he's alright. And after the second, when Harry saves two hostages, Dumbledore doesn't ask if everything's fine. And worst of all, after the third task, Dumbledore didn't ask Harry any question about himself at all.

Year five and Dumbledore decides to ignore him, because he knows that Harry now has questions. He wants to ask, after his detentions with Umbridge, what she made him do that has him so riled up, but he is still pretending Harry doesn't exist. And after Sirius fell through the veil, and Harry destroyed his office, Dumbledore didn't ask for forgiveness. Nor did he ask if Harry was alright.

Year six Dumbledore knew his time was coming to an end. So he made sure that Harry knew all the information. He never asked if he was willing. He didn't ask Harry what he thought he should learn. And at the very last, Dumbledore didn't ask if Harry was going to be alright finding the other horcruxes. And as the death on green light came, Dumbledore regret the fact that he never asked what his family life was like.

It was beaten into Harry at a very young age that one should not ask questions. So when Hagrid said that he had dropped Harry off on Dumbledore's orders, Harry didn't ask Dumbledore why. He didn't ask if anyone had watched him, but most of all, he didn't ask if Dumbledore knew.

Year two and Harry wanted to, he really really wanted, to ask Dumbledore why he kept letting these things happen. Why was the school allowed to give him the cold shoulder? Why weren't they being punished for everything they said? But Harry never asked. He was almost tempted to ask what Dumbledore would do if Harry ever left, but Dobby was more important.

Year Three and Harry didn't ask Dumbledore for permission to go to Hogsmeade. Not after everyone else said no. And he didn't ask Dumbledore about his parents and their friends. And when he watched Sirius ride away on a Hippogriff, he didn't ask Dumbledore why he didn't do anything.

Year four Harry never asked why Dumbledore didn't try harder to find a way out for him. Or even why he didn't try and stop his classmates from abandoning him. Harry didn't ask about the gleam in his eye while he told his story. And he didn't ask Dumbledore if he could stay with the Weasleys.

Year five and it didn't matter what questions Harry had. Dumbledore was ignoring his existence. If he could have he would have asked why Dumbledore was avoiding him, but by the time that was answered there were more things to be worried about. He didn't ask Dumbledore why he let the ministry say those things, he didn't ask why Umbridge could do so much. He didn't ask permission to start his defense club. And at the end of the year, after destroying his office, Harry didn't ask why Dumbledore had still done nothing to help Sirius while he was alive.

Year six and Harry didn't ask to learn advanced magics. He didn't ask Dumbledore why now, why not earlier? He didn't ask Dumbledore why he had to do those things. And after Dumbledore's death, and the fate of the world on his shoulders, he couldn't ask Dumbledore if he had tried to mold him. He couldn't ask if Dumbledore cared.


	6. If at First You Don't Succeed

Disclaim: I still have not managed to convince the world I'm JK Rowling, and thus do not own Harry Potter. Maybe tomorrow.

* * *

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again - Ron will do it right this time. He will save everything he holds dear. And if he doesn't, well, he'll just try again

* * *

Ron Weasley is on a mission. An important mission, a dangerous mission, a mission his mother would never approve of (but that was fine, he would just be happy with her disapproval). He made sure to find Hermione, and sit with her in a compartment, before going off and finding Harry and bringing him back. He talked about classes with Hermione and quidditch with Harry. (He would have talked to them about everything). And when Neville came by, Ron invited him in. Everything was going well.

Until second year when Harry fell off his broom and no one saved him and he died.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission. He won't let a simple fall get in the way, and so he found Hermione and found Neville and found Harry, and Seamus and Dean while he was at it, and talked to them. (But not about quidditch. That was still too recent.) And all the first year Gryffindors were friends.

Until Fluffy ate Lavender and Seamus was brutally murdered by a chess piece and Harry Potter drank poison since Hermione was still in shock over what had happened.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission. He doesn't gather everyone on the train, but plots how to get the stone without them. And Harry and Neville become great friends, and Ron is happy (even though it stings that they aren't close). And everyone makes it out of the year alive, except Quirrel. And that poor Hufflepuff the troll murdered, but everyone Ron cared for was fine.

Until Harry's Uncle starved him to death.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission. He makes friends with Harry (because he's not going through that again this year) and Neville, and becomes rivals with Hermione, and everybody survives. Ron goes home, saves Harry and year two begins. And everything was going well, and everything was going perfect.

Until Percy was killed by the basilisk.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission. He makes friends with Harry and Neville, becomes rivals with Hermione, gives the diary he stole from his sister to Dumbledore, and life is good.

Until fifth year when Harry is Kissed.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission. He makes friends with Harry and Neville, becomes rivals with Hermione (the fights are different but the same) and he steals the diary and gives it to his dad and gets Malfoy senior arrested. And year two goes great. And year three Ron insists on learning the Patronus spell, and finally remembers about Scabbers (it had been a long time. A very long time), and Sirius is free. And Moody is the real Moody and everyone cheers Cedric on to a Hogwarts win. Ron is happy that Voldemort is not back, and they have another retired auror for Defense and life couldn't be better.

Until the twins blow themselves up.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission. He may have snapped at Neville, and insulted Hermione, since they weren't yet rivals and alienated Harry, but he is on a mission. This time Scabbers is delivered to Madam Bones via owl, and Sirius is freed. And Lockheart is in jail for mass obliviations, and Moody is still the best teacher they've had. Until he turns out to be Barty, and Voldemort rises, but Cedric saw it too, and Sirius has lawyers and everything is well.

Until seventh year and Harry doesn't get back up after fighting Voldemort.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission. He outs Barty Crouch Sr, which gets Sirius a trial, which frees him, although he still delivers Peter to the ministry, and Harry has a loving family. And is in Hufflepuff, but that's ok. He's friendly with Harry and Hermione, albeit distant. He 'accidentally' knocks into Malfoy Sr. and the book is seen by many, and after Ron refused to be quiet someone did a spell, and Unspeakables quickly came out of no where and Malfoy Sr. and the book where never seen again. And Krum won the cup, but that was fine, because he was a quidditch legend. Everything is going great.

Until Peter escapes and kills his parents.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission. He outs Bary Crouch Sr., delivers Peter under a disguise, frees Sirius, makes friends with Harry and Neville, and rivals with Hermione. He gets Malfoy Sr. arrested again before second year and everything is good.

Until Draco Malfoy kills Ginny in revenge.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission. He's getting a little bored, and is just going through the motions, and people start to avoid him and talk about him like he's a strange person. But everything is fine. Fleur wins the cup, and Ron beats Dumbledore's score on the NEWTs. (so he forgot that spell wasn't invented yet). Everything is fine.

Until Harry and Neville are killed trying to arrest Mundungus Fletcher when they're aurors.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission. He is on a mission that he can't be turned from. He will make everything better and make sure everyone lives and that everyone who did bad things no longer gets away with it. And if it doesn't work,

he'll just try again.

Because Ron Weasley is on a mission. That he doesn't remember the purpose of. He doesn't remember what house he's in, or whether he is dating or hating Hermione, and whether it's Harry and Neville, or Harry alone (but both of those still sound wrong). And he knows that Hermione and Harry are important, like his family, but he doesn't remember why (and his family seems to be distant from him. His mother shoots worried glances when she thinks he's not looking). And by this point he's memorized the first four years of Hogwarts curriculum and is bored out of his mind while his classmates struggle. (Is he Ravenclaw? Is that right?). And Angelina Johnson wins the cup, and Ron politely claps for his future sister-in-law from one or both of his twin brothers. (Is that legal? Which one is she supposed to marry? Is she suppose to marry at all?) And he meets Luna who just gives him a sad look (why is she sad? everyone's alive), and soldiers on. After all, as long as everyone is alright, everything is ok.

Until it isn't.

But Ron Weasley is on a mission and that's the only thing he remembers. He is on a mission to fix it (what is it?). And he'll keep on trying until he gets it right (was basilisk first or second year?). He keeps his eye on the goal. And he fingers the time turner that somebody gave him once upon a time, and remembers snippets of conversations that never happened. But that's fine. Ron Weasley is on a mission.

Which he goes on again and again and again.

Because Ron Weasley is on a mission, and if he fails he will just try again. And again. And again. And again.


	7. If You Can't Beat 'em, Join 'em

AN: Thanks for the suggestions for proverbs, I will see which characters will want them.

Disclaim: Do not own, seventh book would not have been published (due to procrastination)(also I'm totally not procrastinating on a paper. Nope. Not at all.)

* * *

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em - Percy is sick and tired of his twin brothers picking on him. Nothing he does seems to help. So he does the only thing that makes sense: joins them so that they won't target him

* * *

Percy Weasley did not want much in life. He wanted an important job, to not worry about money, and to be the best person, student, brother and son he could be. It really wasn't much. He liked his home, the Burrow, and he (mostly) liked his family. In fact, when Bill got his prefect badge, that was when Percy knew he wanted to be the best, because Bill was awesome, and the best older brother, so if Percy got the badge he would be the awesome brother.

And maybe the twins would stop tormenting him. They never tormented Bill. So Percy aspired to Bill's greatness.

Unfortunately, Hogwarts was still a bit far off in the future. Maybe it was only a year, but on top of that year, it wouldn't be until _he_ was a fifth year that he would get the badge. Six years of torment from the twins. Maybe a break during the two years he'd be at Hogwarts and they wouldn't, but Percy wouldn't put it past the twins to try and torment him via owl.

Yes, the future was looking a little bleak. Six years was most of his life, and he was already tired of the twins, and they had only been able to bother him for five years. At nine years old, Percy knew he faced the most important decision of his entire life.

After the fifth time, _fifth time_ his brothers had blown up one of his books. (And he didn't have many and he treasured them all) His mother was still 'too busy' with the youngest ones, Ron and Ginny. And while Percy could accept that maybe four year old Ginny still needed her hand held, by the time Percy was five, his mother had no time for him. Although that could have been because the twins were three. Either way, he had lost five precious books, and had six years of torment until he became the awesome brother. Something had to be done.

Yelling at his brothers didn't work. Percy sometimes wondered if they could hear, or if they understood English. Complaining to Mum and Dad hadn't worked ('Talk to your mum, Percy', 'Can't you see Ginny/Ron needs me more?'), asking Charlie for help hadn't worked ('better you than me, Perce') and he didn't want to ask Bill, because then Bill would know that Percy wasn't as awesome as him. And he really wanted Bill (and the rest of the family) to be _proud_ of him.

After seeing Bill and Charlie off to school, and wondering exactly why it was his mother always managed to forget the name of the station, there was an increase of..._incidents_, some of which did not involve his books. It was time for Percy to decide. So he stole his mother's wand, turned Ron's teddy into a spider, then left the wand within Fred's reach, pretending to put it down while just reading a book. Fred took it, and before he could do anything Mum was yelling at Fred for turning Ron's teddy into a spider.

For the first time, the twins just stood open mouthed. They hadn't actually done anything. In fact, Percy had the wand. And at that thought they looked over at their older brother, who was just casually reading a book. All of their arguing that it wasn't them, this time, didn't work, and Mrs. Weasley marched the two up to their bedroom until dinner. Percy was glad that the book hid his smile. This was a lot more fun than he thought it would be.

When the twins came down for dinner, they were glaring at Percy. No one paid any attention, since Ron was hungry, Dad was tired, and Ginny was having a tantrum ('Need know next! More Harry Potter!') and their mother was her usually busy self. So Percy cocked an eyebrow at the twins, watching as their scowls darkened. Slyly, making sure that his parents or Ron (who was more of a mommy's little boy than Percy) he raised one finger, and pointed to himself. Then he made the symbol for zero, and pointed at them. The twins turned to look at each other, matching maniacal grins on their faces. Percy had declared war.

The few months until Christmas had been wonderful for Mrs. Weasley. Well, not perfect, but Percy had stopped complaining to her about the twins. Now, it was unfortunate that they were focusing on Ron, but they never did seem to listen to her. And when Charlie came back from Hogwarts, he knew something was up. Actually, he knew something was up when the twins and Percy were pretending to ignore each other at the station. As long as he didn't get dragged into it, he was fine.

By now, it was Percy fifteen, and the twins three. (They learned that cursing themselves to get Percy in trouble did not work). And Charlie made an unfortunate comment, not that anyone would know until far too late. He talked about a couple of guys in the year ahead of him who were known as the school pranksters. Rumored had it a group in the seventies was even better, but they managed to not get caught. The twins looked intrigued, Percy thoughtful, Molly harassed, Bill tired, Ron hungry, and Ginny trying to get Bill to pick her up.

After dinner, (and after Charlie discovered that someone had put a dungbomb in his trunk), the twins and Percy had an unofficial family meeting in Percy's room. No one was likely to bother them there. They called truce. After all, the three of them all wanted to be the best, and there were two people trying to claim the title of Best Prankster from under them. Family issues would have to be ignored (except Ron, everyone knew it would be too suspicious if Ron stopped getting picked on by the twins, and occasionally Ginny). No one but a Weasley could be known as the Best. Well, for George and Fred it was Best Prankster, but they were learning from Percy, as he was learning from them.

And so they devised a plan. An excellent plan. A brilliant, excellent, perfect plan. Percy would go to school, and scope them out. After first year, when he knew more magic, he would begin pulling pranks and lead the trail right to supposed best pranksters. And in Percy's third year, when the twins joined him, the real fun would begin. Unfortunately for the two boys in the year ahead of Charlie, they hadn't spent enough time with the twins or large families to know how to blend in. And so they kept getting caught for pranks they didn't do. But no one believed them. Except Charlie, but he didn't want to say anything in case one came back to him. He was aiming for quidditch captain.

Come third year, the twins went to Hogwarts and Percy took Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Mostly because he heard a fraud taught divination, his father had probably killed off any interest he had in muggles, and the care of magical creatures professor had one arm and half a leg. This started phase two of 'Drive the Pretenders Insane plan'. After all, it was the final year the two boys would be here.

The teachers thought the two boys wanted to go out with a bang. The two boys wondered who hated them. And Percy Weasley picked the next target. Because yes, getting away with a prank and everyone still knowing it was you was nice and all, but it was even better when you got away with the prank and someone else took the fall. He had learned that when Fred got yelled at by their mother. So he picked the target: Marcus Flint, a Slytherin, one who had whacked Charlie on the head in a match. Now, Fred and George still pulled some low level pranks, but just ones you could buy from a store.

Marcus Flint found himself becoming well known as a prankster, and he didn't know why. Why would he want to take over from some Gryffindors? Unfortunately, there was usually just enough evidence to incriminate him, without there being too much evidence to seem planted. So he had to sit down and take it as the Slytherins got mad at him for losing points, although everyone agreed the pranks were funny. Some people had their doubts about Flint being the actually person pulling the pranks, but no clue who it might really be. Obviously it wasn't the Weasley twins, they didn't know enough magic, and they were always caught because they gave themselves away. The Gryffindors thought it cute, Charlie was wary, and Percy was inventing new ways to prank people...er, Percy was studying. Far too busy to secretly meet with the twins and go over plans and plant potions and all that stuff. Yep, Percy was the most rule abiding student known to Gryffindor.

The twins second year opened up a whole new realm of opportunities. They could see where everyone was with the map. It was decided that Percy would hold onto it, because no one would confiscate anything from Percy. Marcus Flint found that not only was there evidence of him pulling the pranks, he was often the only one in the area when the teachers arrived. And it didn't help that someone spiked the pumpkin juice, except for his cup so that everybody was the color of their rival house. At that point Flint just gave up, and started pulling actual pranks of his own since he was already getting in trouble for pranking.

The fact that his pranks were targeted at Gryffindors, and not as elaborate were ignored. And the twins were still adorably breaking rules, and getting yelled at by their mother, but hardly doing any _real_ pranks. No, they absolutely didn't give Snape a potion that turned his hair bright red, or Dumbledore one that caused him to sing like Celestina Warbeck. They just put belching powder in people's food when they thought no one was looking, or hid anti-gravity hats in people's school caps. All the Gryffindors had a laugh, and allowed the two to think they were being sneaky. Charlie stayed wary. Very wary. And Percy invented even more potions and tricks with help from Fred and George who generally had great ideas, but not yet the know how to get them to work...I mean Percy studied. A lot. In an abandoned room, because the tower was too loud, and the twins pulled a prank on him (everything was going as planned). And Fred and George kept their talents to themselves, and enthusiastically joined the quidditch team and became beaters, and Percy kept...studying.

In fact, Percy was so good at studying and being an excellent rule abiding student (who absolutely did not pull a prank on Oliver Wood when Oliver Wood discovered that girls existed and tried to date the person Percy liked) he made prefect. Just like Bill, and Charlie. As he looked at the badge in his hand, he thought about all that he had done to get to the position he had. And realized that the badge was just a jumping off point. Now, the troublemakers Prefects found were more likely to get blamed for pranks, and the teachers were talking about how it was just like the seventies again, minus You-Know-Who, and dark curses being thrown around, but still. The twins remained likeable, Ron became a student, and Harry Potter killed a professor, although the twins and Percy agreed that that was probably something they shouldn't do.

Sixth year, and it was quite obvious that neither George nor Fred would be a prefect, they just didn't apply themselves (to classes. Fred was remarkable with arithmancy, and George with Potions, and Percy with charms and transfiguration). They toned back the massive school wide pranks after the chamber opened, because it seemed it bad taste (and Snape almost caught Percy twice. Good thing he was a prefect, and Snape never actually checked the Prefect patrol sheet). And then their sister went missing and Harry Potter killed a basilisk and saved their sister (and they decided they would just not try to out do Harry. Seemed too dangerous). And again, Fred and George were popular, and pranked the first years, only occasionally managing to prank the upper years, and Percy started on their line of joke products...Studied. That's what he did, studied.

Seventh year all that, uh, studying paid off. Percy was head boy. And Fred and George were not prefects. And Percy had discovered some interesting things inside a tomb before someone 'rescued' him. He looked at the twins darkly, because he wanted another hour before someone got him and they weren't able to distract their parents that long. Everyone else thought it was because of the being trapped. And as head boy at Hogwarts, there were new ways to get around, new lines open to the trio of red heads. And they made a new map, and gave the old one to Harry. After all, if Harry has it, well, none of them can be caught with it. And the new one was specially made so that unless Percy, Fred or George drew a line down the front of the paper with their thumb, it was blank. And there were dementors, and confusion, because wait one minute, why was Ron sleeping with someone named Peter Pettigrew. They had always assumed it was one of the boys in Gryffindor (since Percy had given Scabbers to Ron before he went to Hogwarts). But now they remembered Sirius Black and how he killed Peter. Something didn't add up, but Peter managed to escape all the rat traps they placed for him. Almost seems like he knew all the passage ways. Their product line was growing, and quite often a few pieces of candy would end up in someone's grasp that were, well, not exactly sweet. Four canaries in Ravenclaw, and Flitwick, although desperate to find the prankster, had to admit it was well done. But the year came to an end, and Percy faced the real world, where his father got him a job in the Department of International Relations, or Department of International Cooperation or something. He didn't really care, he was just happy to be making money. As he and Fred and George realized, making pranks are expensive. So he saved his money, performed his job, sent the dragon dung to the minister, and watched Harry Potter nearly die again.

Now, apparently Voldemort was back. Percy, Fred and George had no problem understanding that, given they knew Sirius was innocent since Peter had been sleeping with their brother and the minister an idiot. (An idiot who often farted at the worst possible times. Odd that). And they were getting ready for the biggest prank ever: Break Down Sinister Minister. Fred was banned from naming things after that, although Percy and George had to give him that sinister minister certainly rhymed. Percy had the hard part: pretending to break with his family for their protection. After all, Percy can't say anything if Percy doesn't know. The fact that he now had a place to experiment for their pranks was just a bonus. And Fudge never did find out why the other countries laughed at him, or why whenever he became angry he turned bright red. He put Weatherby on it, but Weatherby reported no success. Fred and George escaped school, and declared their intention to start a prank store. Well, everyone already knew that was what they wanted, but now they had actually announced it. And sort of kind of outed themselves as the actual pranksters of the school to the surprise of...not many, but a lot of people were wondering why they didn't make the connection earlier. They made sure that there was a secret entry into the store they bought so Percy could come in and not be seen and they could work on their plans.

Oh, and the sinister minister was replaced by a lion, and Percy was stuck being his lackey...assistant? And he came around for Christmas and his Mother was happy but he was not. After all, he had kind of wanted to, you know, celebrate without being on the clock? Scrimgeour had a few incidents where he was in public and his head turned into a lion head. Weatherby, err, Weasley told him that Fudge had problems too, and it was probably a curse on the office. (And definitely not a time delayed prank mixed in with his food. Nope) The curse breaker's cleared it, but Bill took a second look at Percy when he left. The store was going well, and Dumbledore died.

This was problematic. The twins and Percy had an emergency meeting. It was obvious the time for sabotage, and Percy had the best mind for that. And he gave them his gift to Bill for his wedding since he couldn't go because it was agreed that they needed an inside man, and their father was too obvious. Also, he would have been too obvious in getting information. And then Voldemort took over the ministry, and Percy had to walk a dodgy line, but he managed to pass on important information to his brothers, who claimed sources in the ministry or strategically placed listening spells. Which were both technically true, and yet... wasn't exactly their sources or their spells. (Percy was extremely good at hiding his spells, probably from all his time at Hogwarts). And the minister puppet had a very bad case of incurable rashes in very awkward places that tended to spring up whenever he saw Voldemort. Or Death Ea...certain ministry employers. Very odd, but as Percy told the man, the other two ministers had also suffered before him. And so, it all came down to a fight at Hogwarts, because where else would Harry have his death defying stunts? Fred had given one of their DA galleons to Percy so he would know when the battle happened. Of course, it was rather obvious when the battle was going to start because the ministry looked strangely empty of all the Death Eater...upstanding citizens.

And so Percy showed up, and got cold looks from half his family while his mother started crying until Fred asked if he had brought it. That caused a whole bunch of confusion, which George was sorting out as Fred and Percy were getting ready to present their biggest prank yet. Percy had spent a lot of time with Death...upstanding citizens, and one of them liked to get particularly drunk, and was quite thankful Percy took care of him. Minus a few bumps and bruises. And he seemed to have a weird rash on his dark mark, but eh, must have been allergic to something.

And while they were setting up, the current idiot...puppet...minister, what ever he was showed up and Percy told him he was resigning, and also that he should change his underwear more often, since he had only put the prank on four. And then stunned him. And since Fred and George were busy defending the area from people, no one was near any exploding walls and thus did not die. However, this thought didn't occur to them at all. A break was called, and Fred and Percy finished the preparations while Ginny was trying to yell at Percy for lying to everyone and Bill was saying he knew Percy was up to something and Molly didn't know what to do, and Arthur was just glad everyone was safe...er, apparently minus Harry. But soon the break came to an end, and Voldemort came out with Harry's dead body, and Fred and Percy and George looked at each other and nodded. They started their prank. No one was very impressed with the prank, since all it seemed to do was eject some powder in the air and blow it towards the Death Eaters. Voldemort laughed. Until all his marked followers started to have an allergic reaction to their dark mark, and either had to suffer through the pain to fight, or, like many were doing, lay down in pain and wish they were dead. Or at least not marked. And Charlie came with reinforcements, and it almost seem like an unfair fight except Voldemort never played fair so it was even. And Percy watched his mother kill Bellatrix LeStrange, who had apparently not noticed the pain from her dark mark. And watched as the Not Dead Harry killed Voldemort.

The Wizarding World was a mess, and apparently they needed good ministry workers so Percy reluctantly went back to join the ministry. But not under the minister. He had had enough of ministers, even if people said Kingsley was decent. No, he was going to join the ministry and work where he wanted. And since he didn't feel like filling out all those boring, boring forms saying he couldn't tell anyone anything (which really defeated the purpose of working there in the first place) he joined the Committee of Experimental Charms. For some reason, this did not make anyone feel safe at all. But Percy didn't care. He was having fun, and, upon seeing his old prefect badge one day (and coming up with a good possible prank for it) he decided he had made the right decision when he was nine years old. Life was so much easier when he wasn't on the receiving end of a prank. Oh, and Voldemort being gone was good too.

And his nieces and nephews, and his own kids. Especially being called the 'awesome not Potter' uncle, since he managed to prank three ministers of magic, and help out in the war. He would grant the title of 'awesome uncle' to Harry, since coming back from the dead was impressive. But most of all, what was really nice was the fact that his parents and siblings felt he was cool. That was a good thing.

And the look on Molly's face when Percy admitted to stealing her wand and turning Ron's teddy into a spider.

That look was priceless.


	8. Children Should Be Seen and Not Heard

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or proverbs. Can people even own proverbs?

This is a whole lot darker than I meant...

* * *

Children should be seen and not heard - How the wizarding world fell, despite the children knowing better.

* * *

The adults had no idea what happened. Often they would quietly ask each other what had happened, what had gone wrong. Why had You-Know-Who been able to take over so fast? Why had nobody noticed what was going on? It was a huge mystery to all the adults.

Not the children. They knew the answer. And if anyone ever asked them, they would have answered that You-Know-Who hadn't taken over very fast. It had taken him years to be ready, years to be assured of success, years of the adults not listening to the children for him to take over. But no one ever asked them.

Because children should be seen and not heard.

So parents had ignored the letters from their children, asking why Harry Potter might be so very thin. It was just children insecure in their looks; not children concerned about the sickly appearance of a hero. And the letters about a troll. How very imaginative Dumbledore was being now! A troll on Halloween? Why, when they were students, all they got was a feast. They missed the fear the children had; what if it had been them?

And so the children went unheard. And they learned the first dangerous lesson: this is normal, this is fine, we don't care if you die.

But they also learned that no one cared about Harry Potter. After all, he was the hero, and he didn't look very hero-like. And no one seemed concerned. No one. Not the teachers who sat back and watched him fight their battles, not the parents who weren't _listening_. If no one cared about Harry Potter, who would care about the nobodies?

And Draco Malfoy learned the hard way that his father didn't truly care about him. Oh, his father had told him that life at Hogwarts would be interesting his second year, and bought Draco's way on the team (which is how it goes in Slytherin, no matter what Granger says). But when Draco was sitting paralyzed, trying to ignore the giant snake that had just petrified the Hufflepuff he had been taunting, he realized that his father hadn't actually warned him. Sure, the monster was suppose to go after Mudbloods, but _dear Merlin it had been right there and he wasn't ready and how was he suppose to protect himself if things go wrong? _Because Draco knows that things go wrong. Slytherin didn't win the house cup, and Potter had never been expelled, and _he was hiding from a giant snake that PETRIFIED people. _Wasn't that something he should know? So he could protect himself if things went wrong?

But Lucius Malfoy ignored his questions. He was far too busy playing an important game of political intrigue with Dumbledore, and really until Draco turned seventeen he was merely a pawn to be moved. He would understand when he was older.

It never occurred to Malfoy that Draco might never get older. After all, when Lucius was in Hogwarts, there wasn't anything dangerous occurring at all. Well, nothing dangerous that wasn't being done by Slytherins to the unworthy. And Draco was worthy and a Slytherin and really, what were the chances that Draco would be harmed by his plotting? One student out of four houses and seven years? It was worth the risk. Anything to get rid of Dumbledore was worth the risk.

It was just an abstract thought, Draco getting hurt.

Draco saw the writing on the walls. If Lucius Malfoy, his _father_, didn't care about him, who would? His mother who had never gone against his father? His aunt who was in Azkaban? His grandfather who was dying? No, none of them. And no one helped Potter either. At least, not with the important things.

After all, shouldn't the teachers be the ones stopping giant snakes? Or maniacal professors?

Slytherins realized there wasn't much of a choice. If the light side thought so little of their hero, what would it think of the Slytherins? Did they even have a choice?

Everyone watched as Harry grew tired. They watched as their supposed perfectly healthy hero got bags under his eyes, watched as he stopped speaking. They watched as he drifted away from people.

"But what happened to Cedric if Harry Potter is lying?" all the children who knew him asked. The adults didn't hear.

"Silly children, are you questioning the Ministry?" some parents said. "They know the truth."

The truth of lesson number three: if you are able to walk around, clearly you are fine, and if you say something that adults disagree with, you are clearly insane.

They never did get a good answer as to just what happened to Cedric. They'd ask their question, scared because _one of them was dead_, and their parents just told them to be quiet. Keep your head down. Don't question your elders. Be seen and not heard, that's a good child.

That's how they were treating their supposed hero. As long as he remained seen and unheard, well, he could be a hero. If he didn't, well, clearly he's being bad. Everyone knows that children must be unheard.

If no one listened to Harry, who would listen to them?

If the teachers didn't listen to Harry, who would listen to them?

And so the children remained quiet, as they watched their hero fall apart. And they watched as Malfoy disintegrated as well. He was quiet after You-Know-Who (didn't) came (come) back. Slowly the school fell. There were no sides anymore: no light, no dark. After all, no one _listened_, no one _cared_.

And everyone knew that Harry wasn't going to win. Everyday they woke up and wondered if he'd still be here, trudging along like everyone else. It wasn't a question of who, but when. Those who could escaped. They weren't being heard, but they didn't want to live in the world their parents made. And to the adults, just out of Hogwarts was almost the same as still a kid. 'You can't have a good idea, you just graduated!' and 'leave it to those with more experience'.

Is surviving a Basilisk not experience? Is being surrounded by Dementors for an entire school year not experience? What experience did they want?

And eventually, You-Know-Who was back. And the adults were panicking and screaming and wondering where their hero had gone. (He just disappeared one day. No word, no anything. Some adults thought he was still alive. Most of the children wondered where the body would be found. But they couldn't say that out loud.)

And Britain fell to You-Know-Who after Dumbledore died. And the adults hadn't known there was a fight that they were losing. They hadn't known. You-Know-Who just appeared one day, and took over. (Lucky, those who emigrated to other countries. The adults wish they had known.

And the children just sighed and died. What were they to anyone? Didn't they warn? Didn't anyone listen to their questions? _What happened to Cedric if You-Know-Who didn't kill him? What if I had been killed by a troll? Why wouldn't you give me the knowledge to protect myself?_

Draco didn't finish Hogwarts. Many students didn't. They had seen what was coming, and the life presented before them. And they learned a lesson that they weren't suppose to learn.

Children do not matter, despite what their name may be. Nobody cared about them.

Nobody listened.


	9. Dead Men Tell No Tales

Disclaimer: I have not yet created the time machine that will take me back in time so that I can claim Harry Potter.

Bit darker Harry, Hermione, Ron.

* * *

Dead men tell no tales - "but this is Harry, and we can't have that. So you must go"

* * *

Becoming an animagus was the best idea I ever had. Even better, was not registering. This meant I could get the scoop before any other reporter, hear all the juicy gossip that no one speaks out side of their homes.

After all, no one notices a beetle flying around. And a beetle resting on a wall, well, in summer that's normal. Windows are open, bugs fly in. As long as I don't bother anyone, they won't even know I'm there. And all my competitors are stuck wondering just how I manage to get the best stories, hear the most interesting things.

Yes, being an animagus was the best idea I, Rita Skeeter, had ever had, right after deciding to work as a journalist for the Prophet. No stupid libel laws in the wizarding world.

This, however, was probably the worst idea I ever had. Oh, it seemed like a good one at the time. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts, let's see how everything is going for our young hero.

I had tried to be legitimate (if only so I could say I tried). But Dumbledore had said that it was not a story I would be allowed to tell.

I should have known then that there was something fishy going on. Dumbledore is always very careful with his words. He never expressly said he would stop me, but that's what I assumed. I thought, Dumbledore doesn't want this story out in the public, and it just made me want to write it more.

If I had known the truth...I don't know. If I had known the truth, I'd probably be in the same position.

Which scares me. How many discovered the truth before me?

Nothing seemed wrong at first. I followed him around school, his entry into the tournament my legitimate excuse to actually interview him. He was quiet, kept his head down. Not very interesting, but I was sure there was something I could write. Something interesting around him, I'd just have to tweak a word here, invent a thing there, you know. Nothing I hadn't done before.

And people would eat it all up because it's Harry Potter! For so long our world has wondered what our hero is like, and for so long I let Dumbledore keep me out. But not anymore. I thought this would be my big break. However, Harry just wasn't interesting.

So I focused on his friends, the muggleborn girl, the poor red head, the half-blood gamekeeper. The muggleborn girl was where I'd get the most readers about. Everyone loves to hate, and a muggleborn appearing to have the relationship everyone wants with the boy-who-lived... it was a treasure trove.

This is where my second clue should have come. When no one would talk bad about Harry Potter. Where no one would say anything about his friends. No one person. I just thought they were worried about Dumbledore finding out, since he seems to know everything. I didn't recognize the fear in their eyes for what it was, I was too obsessed with finding my next story. But they would know the truth, wouldn't they? The students who lived with him for nine months of the year.

They know what the world will never know. Not until it's too late.

Not even recent graduates from the school would talk about him. I'd asked several; Percy Weasley, the older brother of his friend, Oliver Wood, his quidditch captain. They just gave me a smile, and said nothing. Not a word about Harry. I buzzed around the school, discovered who was most likely going to talk to me out of spite.

And they were afraid. Terrified. Refused to talk to me, even with privacy barriers. Not about anyone that Harry Potter liked.

It didn't stop me from inventing things. After all, I needed to earn a wage.

I wish I hadn't. Maybe I wouldn't be in this position.

I managed to spread stories about sensitive topics, like the parentage of the gamekeeper, cast aspersions on the muggleborn's character. But the muggleborn was clever. Too clever, deserving of the moniker I had heard people give her at Hogwarts.

She figured out I was a bug. She caught me, just when I was sure I would have the scoop of the lifetime.

Harry Potter had just returned from an unplanned journey. He had been rushed to the hospital wing, and I had followed.

And listened to a horrifying tale.

Harry Potter, had been kidnapped by the Dark Lord in an attempt to regain his life. But it failed, Harry calmly told everyone. After all, Harry simply killed the weak-minded Bertha Jorkins. Dead. His voice didn't waver, he was... disinterested. He discovered what Voldemort was planning on doing, the ritual, and prevented it from ever being done. He Vanished bones, Vanished Bertha Jorkins' body. Vanished the Dark Lord.

He calmly talked about Vanishing beings.

Vanishing someone is a huge taboo in our culture. Had no one taught him that? Why didn't anyone say anything?

It gave me a new prospective on why no one would talk to me. Harry Potter killed people by Vanishing them. No proof, no evidence, gone into a void. I should have escaped then, but I just had to listen to more. Harry had apparently Vanished the long thought dead son of Barty Crouch. The people around him seemed to think it no big deal, no surprise.

'He was the Defense professor. You've only let one survive,' his redheaded friend said, unconcerned.

I got the truth: Harry Potter had killed his Defense professors.

No one had cared about the first, Squirrel or something. Students said it was likely he ran away, too scared to live in the magical world. Gilderoy Lockhart, well, it was a shame he disappeared. People had searched for him, wondering if he was going somewhere to save more people and write a book. But two years later, and still no word.

'Even then, you still got rid of a professor,' his muggleborn friend said.

Last year, the potions master had disappeared. Vanished. Not many people were sad, but because it was him, no one had put together the clues. No one who lived to tell the tale. I had sealed my fate, without ever realizing the danger.

And the muggleborn caught me in a jar, told the others it wasn't a big deal.

'Just a bug to be squashed,' she said, and everyone laughed.

I've been in this jar for two hours, not sure what's going to happen to me.

I'm in the hands of a friend of a psychopath. In the hands of someone whose life I had made miserable this year with my lies. All I could do was hope that she would be more lenient than me. Maybe a wizards oath not to tell? Perhaps I would find a way to circumvent what ever words she thought would bind me.

This was a story that needed to be told.

After several more hours, when I became hungry and thirsty, my prison was lifted to the muggleborn's eyes. This was it. Freedom of some kind.

"Well, what have we here. An illegal animagus who has been manipulating words and casting aspersions on various friends of Harry. I can't say I'm sorry to see you here. After all, you've been on my list since half way through the year," the young muggleborn said, her brown eyes cold despite the smile on her face.

I started chattering, trying to get her to let me out of the unbreakable jar I was stuck in. Surely, surely she knew what Potter was doing was wrong. She laughed.

"Oh, you want out? I'm afraid it's too late for that. You see, you know too much. You've heard too much. Harry needs to remain the perfect hero, and that means no one can say anything about his ... work outside of class," the muggleborn said, eyes hollow while she laughed. I buzzed some more, hoping she would understand my meaning.

"Are you trying to say I should make a deal with you? Let you back into the world with what you know? I don't think so. I owe Harry my life, several times over. And this is Harry; the less who know, the better off he is. There's only one path for you. After all, dead men tell no tales."

A flash of green ended Rita Skeeter's short career.

Unsurprisingly no one mourned, although no one else ever tried to do a story on Harry Potter.

Rita Skeeter didn't even become a footnote in the history of the dark lord Potter. After all, she only disappeared on day. What were the chances it was related at all?

Her body was left in the Chamber of Secrets, where all those who crossed Harry and his friends ended up.

Dead men tell no tales, so Dark Lord Potter was never seen for the Dark Lord that he was.

If only Rita had listened to Dumbledore. Maybe she would have survived.


	10. Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right

Disclaimer: Do not own

This took a turn somewhere, and I might go back to either this chapter or the saying again. Identifying at least two wrongs, as Snape would see them, was hard.

* * *

Severus Snape would never consider himself a lucky kid. With a name like Severus, no matter how dignified and historic it might be in the Prince family, he knew he'd find no peace in the muggle world. Not that he wanted any part of that world. All he wanted was power and magic and the red headed girl who lived near him. She was nice and kind, and _he had seen her do magic_. So she was perfect. Untouchable. Beautiful. Amazing.

He could go on forever describing Lily Evans. She saw the good in people, in the scrawny boy in the screwed up house. She didn't stand for bullies, but she was also very sensitive. He tried to accept that, even if he didn't really understand why she might be attached to the horse that was her sister. Honestly, Lily was better than her sister, and shouldn't have her weighing her down. Lily needed to rise, and Tunafish was just a rock anchoring her to the ground. Lily needed to be free to fly.

Of course, she had to be flying with him. Only _he_ wouldn't hold her back, but lift her up and let her shine as she should. No one else could do that.

So yes, Severus wouldn't call himself a lucky kid, but he did think that Lily was given to him as the one bright spot in his life. The one thing that could never be sullied. Other students at Hogwarts became her friend, but he was her 'best' friend, closer to her than anyone else. Irreplaceable just like she was to him. She didn't let houses get between them, and ignored her stupid friends who didn't like him.

Most of all, she called out that horrid boy James Potter and his nasty friend Sirius Black. He hated that they picked on him, but hadn't that been his life? His father, Lily's sister, all those purebloods and his Prince family and everyone had looked down and hated and picked on him. But that was why Lily was in his life. So that he could ignore all the pain, humiliation. He had Lily. He had what Potter wanted.

Until he did something wrong.

Yes, Lily was his best friend and muggleborn, but he still hated muggles. And in Slytherin there were stories about the Dark Lord, and his views and how he would achieve them and all who followed him rewarded. And he listened, with rapt attention, to all the tidbits, from kids whose older siblings had decided to follow him to those whose parents funded him. He was well aware of the disdain everyone had for muggles, and he even shared it. After all, Lily was muggle_born_ not muggle. There was a difference, and he knew that they would see. Or if not see, they would realize that Lily was special, different. More than muggleborn, she was Severus' angel. So he listened and made acquaintances and began to plan for his future. It was bright despite the war. He had Lily and Potions and potential power. Potter was on the losing side and only had Black and a werewolf, and that pathetic tag-along.

And then he made his first wrong. Maybe others wouldn't consider it a first wrong, but to him it was the beginning of the end. He let his rage and anger at Potter and his friends build up to the point that he lashed out at the only beautiful person in his life.

And she dropped him.

It was just temporary, he consoled himself, watching her with her friends. (She never looked as happy with them as she did with him). He watched as she was deceived by the vile Potter, tricked into believing that he had changed. (The fact that he was no longer torturing people didn't mean anything. It was a facade). She'd come back to him. She had to. She was the bright light, the golden crown. His angel. (And his torturing of Gryffindor lower years was more righteous than Potter. After all, every last one of them deserved it. They had all done something to deserve it. He had never done anything but existed.)

It was clear to him, at age 17, that nobody changed. Potter was pretending, Lily was just being too good to see that. His father had died without ever admitting he was wrong, never changing. His mother, gone, because she could do nothing for herself. And Severus, poor, poor Severus who made one mistake and lost the golden light. But he knew she'd come back. She might have stars in her eyes and Potter may have her wrapped around his finger, but she would come back to him. Potter would return to normal, and hurt her, and he'd be there with open arms, and a promise of revenge. After all, Potter had decided to stand against everything Severus believed in, and Lily was like Severus, except not broken. She would see the world as it really was.

And Severus decided to save her. For the Dark Lord would win, and then Lily would realize the truth, and Snape would be in a place to save her. He would do everything in his power to become one of the Dark Lord's favorites, just so that when the war was won, and everyone came out of the cracks, he could persuade the Dark Lord that Lily was different, that just she was better than all other mudbloods and muggles. He would save her after she realized her mistake and everything would be better.

It had to be.

So Severus took his job seriously, hanging around Hogsmeade and the Hog's Head to find out what Dumbledore was up to. After all, that idiot gamekeeper couldn't keep his mouth shut if you paid him. Not when he started drinking. He might learn something to help the Dark Lord and move up. And he hit jackpot. His mother had told him what a true prophesy sounded like, for her grandmother had made a few. And this, telling the Dark Lord about one born who would be able to defeat him...He would rise faster than Lucius Malfoy and his honey tongue and hefty coffers.

Thus was the second wrong he did by Lily Evans. He hadn't realized she was pregnant, and that her child might be the one in the prophecy. Foolishly he had hoped that she had kept herself for him, despite marrying Potter. He had rationalized it as whirlwind, Potter hadn't given her a chance to sit down and think things through logically. He believed that she, like Severus, knew there was something wrong and she would wait until she knew what it was to do anything.

Not so.

He tried to fix it, to save her. He went to Voldemort, he went to Dumbledore. For Merlin's sake he begged for Lily to be alright.

Instead he had to live with the pain of knowing that two wrongs don't make a right. That insulting her in rage and telling the Dark Lord everything had ended up with his angel killed, and the only footprint on the world to show that she existed was a hole in his heart and two eyes in a child's face. And he tried his best to make things up to Lily, protecting her son and keeping him humble like she was and to try and get rid of all possible traits of his father so Lily could shine through. He did what Dumbledore wanted, and waited to be reunited with his angel because she would see, beyond the mortal coil, that everything he had done had been for her. She would forgive him, because what use is fighting for an eternity?

And when he died, looking into Lily's green eyes (but not her eyes) he looked around for her. But she wasn't there.

And Severus Snape sat down, and silently cried, because no amount of wrongs can make anything right.


	11. Fortune Favors the Bold

Here's some Malfoy. I sadly do not own the English language. But I do have a copy of the dictionary. And an internet connection. And a word processor. And apparently free time.

* * *

Fortune Favors the Bold - Malfoy on his classes and his success post Hogwarts

* * *

Draco Malfoy did not like thinking about the past. After all, his past was filled with actions that, upon review, were not in good taste.

His parents really should have done more to make sure he learned how not to offend everyone. After all, that's very important to staying in polite society. And that's what Malfoys and Blacks did, as he had been reminded over and over again in childhood. He had tried with Harry on the train, but he had been raised...thinking too highly of himself. Of course, this was much easier to see now that he was older and out of Hogwarts and a part of the Wizarding World. It just would have been nice to know then.

And, it also would have been better if he hadn't been taught that being a manipulator was the only way to get what he wanted. Not only did he not actually learn that lesson from his father, but it was not always true. And he was never in that position.

Or maybe it just wasn't true in this new world that existed. Perhaps his father's views were just all outdated. After all, just look at where his father had ended up. Sure, he had escaped Azkaban after the Second Wizarding War, but he never was able to do what he had always enjoyed doing. He was never allowed anywhere near government. All he could do was scowl, mope at home, and stay out of the public view while Draco worked hard to rehabilitate his family name.

Starting with ending his marriage contract with Pansy. His father hadn't been too pleased. However after the year he turned seventeen, he had realized that Pansy needed a sharp slap to face reality, and knew he wasn't able to do that. He could only fight with words, struggling to prove to the world (and himself) that he was more than his mistakes. He only really knew how to talk. He didn't have the time to teach Pansy and prove himself. If she threw a fit, and pouted, and complained, well, it was not his problem. The world was different, and he could live without her family's support.

She actually needed to realize her family had nothing but money. Unfortunately, Pansy had never been one for doing, just fawning and begging to be treated as a princess. That was not what Draco needed right now.

Draco needed to be more like Harry Potter. He didn't need to find a Dark Lord to destroy, thank Merlin. He'd probably mess that up like he had the rest of his life. No, he needed to be more like Harry and take charge.

If there was one thing that Draco knew to be true about himself when he was younger, it was that he often was a coward. 'When my father hears about this...' isn't the way to become a strong person, an important person, or even a leader. It's how a spoil brat reacts when things don't go his way. Harry Potter had never said that, or anything like that.

He did something...better. He fought. He stood up. He faced down the Dark Lord, Umbridge, Death Eaters, his own death. He went out and did things, he didn't hang around and wait for things to be handed to him. And when things were handed to him, well, he didn't simply accept. He threw himself into them, saw a bigger picture. When he was entered into the Tri-wizard Tournament, he didn't sit and ask for worship. He worked to try and survive a game that had killed those older. And when everyone was against him, he boldly stood his ground. Despite a teacher's torture, he never backed down.

And after the war, that didn't stop. Harry Potter didn't go 'well, that's it. My job is through.' No, Harry Potter continued to go after things he wanted to do. He became an auror, to protect everyone he could. He reached out and grabbed everything he could. And fortune favored him, with a beautiful wife, good friends and a career.

Draco simply managed to live from day to day.

Half the people in his year were in Azkaban: Nott, Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode. Pansy hadn't done anything, Daphne hadn't done anything, Tracy kept her head down and Blaise escaped to Italy. The Slytherins who had laughed at the stupidity of the Gryffindors and of Harry Potter especially had fallen from the pedestal they had placed themselves on. Instead of Slytherins coming out on top like they had in the past, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were the leaders, along with those Ravenclaws who saw through the Dark Lord's lies.

And Draco watched as Neville Longbottom became greater than he could ever be, as Luna Lovegood proved to the world that yes, they had not discovered everything. He watched as everyone he had teased and taunted went out and became stars. They shone brightly while Draco fought hard to simply flicker in this world he had never been prepared for.

He heard once that fortune favors the bold. His father took that to mean that money would follow if he made investments that looked risky. Draco now knew that the fortune favoring the bold was something less... shiny. The bold who fortune favored were those unafraid to stand their ground. In the face of death, torture or worse, the bold were those who did not back down, hide behind masks, try and walk the line so that no matter which side won they would come out ok. And the fortune the bold received... it wasn't adoring fans, or money. It was true friends. It was loving family, it was the confidence to know that you can face anything. It was _respect_, respect from other countries, from other people. You could disagree with each and every one of the members of Dumbledore's Army, or Order of the Phoenix, or anyone who decided to fight against the Dark Lord, but you had to respect the fact that they were unafraid to stand for what they believed in no matter the consequences. They wore no masks. They did not play it safe.

And they continued to do what they wanted, to be bold and take the chances as they presented themselves no matter what.

And Draco wishes he learned that lesson earlier in life, because he sees all the Gryffindors success, the Hufflepuffs, and the Ravenclaws, and he can't forget the brief moment where his life may have unfolded in a different way. A brief moment where he could have been bold, and decided he was Draco Malfoy, not Lucius Malfoy. A brief moment that could have lead to him being one of those who fortune favored.

But that was the past, and it didn't happen. All he could do is look to the future.

And in the future, he would be bold. He would seek out opportunities. His children would be bold.

And he would tell his children the story of two children, one who was bold and took what was offered, and one who hesitated and waited and ultimately suffered through his own mistakes, and explain how fortune really only favored one.

His children would be like Harry Potter: unafraid to stand their ground or go after what they want.


	12. You Don't Always Get What You Want

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Owning people is called slavery and is frowned upon by most societies. Especially if it is non-consensual.

But I can dream, dammit. Of owning Harry Potter, not slaves.

In all honesty, I think the epilogue was too neat. Everyone staying as couples is, if not realistic, unusual. Granted, there was nineteen years for there to be ups and downs and drifting apart and back together, and I'd like to think that JK Rowling just forgot to tell us all that. Or maybe I'm just a jaded person who has drifted from high school friends I thought I'd stay close with. So, this is my response.

* * *

You Don't Always Get What You Want - Life after the War wasn't exactly what Ginny expected

* * *

Ginny had grown up on dreams, been encouraged to have them. They had changed through out the years, as she grew up and changed and watched the world change around her. However, one dream had been mostly constant, and at one point it seemed within her reach.

Ginny had dreamed of marrying Harry Potter. When she was younger, he was the mage in resplendent robes who had used his incredible magical talents to rescue her from the boredom and horror of _six _brothers. He was the star of her bedtime stories, of the games of dolls she played with herself and Luna. He was her hero. It was hero worship.

She can admit that now, that her initial obsession was built on false stories, and fantasies she created in her head. Back then, it seemed real. And her brother Ron, and Fred and George, and to an extent Percy got to meet him, spend the year with him at _Hogwarts_ learning _magic. _It wasn't fair, she cried into her pillow after her brief glance at a boy who didn't exactly meet her initial standards. He wasn't tall, seemed shy, and wore glasses. Not exactly the adventuring hero she dreamed of. It wasn't fair that Ron and Fred and George and Percy got to spend time with him when it was she who loved him so. They wouldn't appreciate him like she would.

In her defense, at ten years old that seemed like a reasonable thing to think. So she spent the year building up an image of the boy her youngest older brother had become friends with based on letters from Percy, because the twins and Ron didn't write. Percy wasn't fond of Harry, but to Ginny that just meant Harry was amazing. After all, Bill was awesome and Percy sometimes looked down on him, so Harry had to be great. She made plans about inserting herself into Harry's friend group, using her position as Ron's little sister.

She kept imagining their first _real_ meeting, not like the ones at the station where she was overshadowed by her brothers. She would walk down the Grand Staircase of Hogwarts into the Great Hall for getting sorted (because all the princesses and heroines of stories had their grand entrance descending stairs). Her hair would flow behind her, she would stand tall and brave and stand out from all the other (girls) students. Harry wouldn't be able to take his eyes off her, and would watch as she fought off a..well, did whatever she needed to do to get sorted in Gryffindor. After Ron's encounter with a troll last year (and that had been a lovely conversation Percy had accidentally started with their parents) she knew Fred was lying about fighting a troll to get sorted. Harry would be in awe, move over so that she could sit next to him and Ron would proudly introduce his little sister to his best friend.

The reality was a bit different. She came downstairs from her room after waking up to find him sitting at the table in her house.

Not the remarkable meeting she had been planning on.

Really, her whole first year wasn't what she had been planning. Harry (and Ron) wasn't there to see her sorted, which was a good thing because she could swear everyone could see how nervous she was. She didn't make friends easy, her brother wouldn't really share his friends, and all she had was Tom. And Tom took over her year, and she unleashed a monster and it really, really sucked.

She was supposed to be the heroine, and heroines don't wreck havoc by releasing a wizard killing monster snake on a school of innocent school children.

Regardless, Harry (and Ron, and Hermione to an extent) saved her and she was willing to pretend that she had no responsibility for what happened and had just been an unfortunate innocent victim rescued by the hero(es). (It would have worked better if she didn't have nightmares of not waking up, or watching the monster kill her loved ones or the worst, watching as she ordered the monster to kill Harry). But she did begin to get over her hero worship. She had stopped dreaming about being rescued in a magical forest or a castle by a tall, bold, handsome boy. Instead she fantasized that she was rescued from dank dungeons and her own stupidity by a short, knobby-knee boy who didn't like to work and was good but not perfect with magic, and his wise but sometimes bossy friend and her brother who made mistakes but was determined regardless.

Looking back, that was a clue she should have seen right there. But she didn't.

Second year, and third year passed, and Ginny began to stop thinking about the magical fake boy from her childhood, and started thinking of her brother's best friend. She stopped wanting Harry the Boy-Who-Lived and started wanting Harry the Boy-Who-Was-Awkward-And-Got-Into-the-Weirdest-Situations. She started seeing other people, waiting for Harry to be ready for her. He still hadn't started dating anyone, and besides that mess with Cho, didn't seem interested in anyone beyond hanging out with Ron and Hermione (although she almost had a freak out when she found Harry laughing with Luna about something because _dammit_ Luna, she should know how Ginny felt).

Finally, the (somewhat kind of) magical fifth year happened. Harry noticed and wanted her. She was in heaven, dreams come true! Until Dumbledore died, and Harry broke up with her because he was a _hero_ (but not because people said so) who wanted to protect her and something changed. Well, everyone and everything changed. Dumbledore's death was the beginning of the war, and no one was unscathed. Especially Harry (and Ron and Hermione). And her family. She spent the year at Hogwarts terrified and determined to be the girl that Harry deserved (because the boy, no, _man_ who was willing to sacrifice himself for people who didn't deserve it was no boy and deserved someone amazing to make up for all the bad).

She stepped up and ran Dumbledore's Army and faced the Carrows with Neville and Luna at her sides. And people compared her to Harry, or well, Neville to Harry, but the group of her and Neville and Luna to HarryRonHermione. And it was one word at that point, HarryRonHermione, to everyone. That whole group would come and save everyone eventually, would survive and win the war, but for now it was Ginny and Neville and Luna (and Neville wasn't fearless or stupidly noble and Luna wasn't smart like Hermione and didn't fret and didn't have frizzy hair and Ginny herself wasn't Ron). And they did _damn_ well. Everyone said so afterwards. They had protected the students they could and _lived_ in constant terror of being tortured.

Of course, they didn't destroy Voldemort or go on a dangerous mission that they still refused to tell anyone about and they didn't talk at all about what happened, but that didn't matter because _they _(HarryRonHermione) were _alive_. They were alive and the world was ready to get better. And Ginny was secure in the knowledge that she liked, no, _loved_ Harry because of who he was and how he acted, and that she was worthy of him and he of her and they could start right back up where they left off. Harry would be an auror, she would become a quidditch player and they would live happily ever after.

Except, they didn't.

At first she didn't notice it, because Fred had died and everyone was just living day to day and trying to digest everything that happened and the three of them had just been through war so of course they were constantly around each other. But then she noticed that HarryRonHermione never separated. They never went back to Harry and Ron and Hermione, not like Neville and Luna and Ginny had gone their separate ways (although still keeping in touch). There was never a moment where she and Harry were alone. Not really. Ron and Hermione were always within view. When she suggested going out on a date to Diagon Alley by themselves Harry stuttered his excuses about not wanting to attract attention, and Ginny didn't notice (ignored) the sudden fear in his eyes. When her mother suggested that Ron and Hermione go out together without Harry one day she didn't understand why the three of them looked like deer in headlights. She didn't understand why they refused.

She also began to wonder why Ron was never in the house. Except for Bill and Charlie, everyone else had moved back to the house. George needed family and Percy wanted to make amends and Ginny was still _too young_, but Ron was never there without Harry and Hermione. Never. Nothing their father said, or their mother cried made him come back. He was sorry and apologetic but he _needed_ to be with HarryHermione.

And Ginny went back to school, and sent Harry owls, and Hermione owls when Harry didn't respond (because HarryRonHermione). And she watched as her friends at school started to plan their lives, and she got hired by the Holyhead Harpies as a reserve and was at training and camps and barely at home and realized that she hadn't sent Harry an owl in a month and hadn't seen him in four. And so she owled him to meet up, thinking it was obvious she meant just him and her so that they could catch up and start up again because even though she hadn't seen or owled him in so long she still loved him and thought of him.

But when she showed up at the Leaky Cauldron, there was HarryRonHermione sitting together. Hermione furiously writing something while frowning at papers while Harry and Ron argued about quidditch. And as Ginny watched the three interact, she realized that she and Harry had drifted apart. Sure, in the beginning she didn't know him, back when she was ten and he was eleven, but she had gotten to know him better and in fifth year had been sure she could count herself as one of the few who knew _Harry _and not the Boy-Who-Lived, but the person sitting before her today was different. She didn't know what it was, couldn't explain it, but the Harry from before the war was gone. He had changed and she had changed, and his life didn't exactly hold room for her anymore in the way she still wanted. Not if his first instinct on getting an owl from her was not to see her alone like he would have fifth year, but because he assumed she meant HarryRonHermione.

So Ginny accepted that.

HarryRonHermione lived together, and Harry didn't move out when Ron and Hermione married. He became a live in uncle to their children. None of the three ever talked about Harry or Ron and Hermione moving out. Any invitation was for the three of them, because they didn't know how to be three different people.

Ginny met and fell in love with a fellow chaser from a different team (Chudley Canons, to Ron's delight). She loved him and he loved her and he was enough, as was the family they started. She would see Harry at family events, with Ron and Hermione, or when the DA got together on the occasions they could. She would still sometimes wonder what life would be like if she and Harry hadn't grown apart or HarryRonHermione hadn't grown together, but it was only wishful thinking.

After all, she tells her children when they whine about wanting sweets and treats, you can't always get what you want.


	13. He Who Hesitates is Lost

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except maybe my clothes. I am pretty sure other people have come up with similar ideas to this, but I do not recall reading any. And again, I seem to have written something kind of dark.

* * *

He who hesitates is lost - If only he hadn't hesitated. If only he had been a perfect Gryffindor

* * *

He was suppose to be a Gryffindor. Gryffindors were brave. Gryffindors were daring. Gryffindors weren't _scared._ They did not freeze, they did not hesitate. Especially not when it mattered.

Except he did. He did, and he waited. He hesitated. He hesitated and it cost him everything. It cost everyone everything.

He had been so happy. So happy that he was able to finally fix his mistake. He heard them mention his name, and was able to get to them. He had been thinking about what he would say, how he would convinced them to take him back. He would get down on his hands and knees and beg them to take him back. Say he had made a huge mistake and he would do anything to make it up to them. Anything.

And he reached the woods and saw his friend, and was getting up his courage, his Gryffindor spirit, to approach him. Everything was going as planned.

Until his friend began to strip. He paused, watching. He was confused, wondering why his friend would take his clothes off. It wasn't like it was warm out. It was the middle of winter, far too cold to be walking around without clothes. He was trying to figure out what was going on, so he might be forgiven for being surprised at the turn of events.

In one second, his friend had disappeared. He had jumped in a frozen pond. A _frozen_ pond.

Breathe in.

His friend was naked in a frozen pond.

Breath out.

His friend had _jumped_ into a frozen pond.

Breathe in.

His friend had jumped _willingly_ into a frozen pond _without clothes._

Breathe out.

Time stops.

_Freeze._

_Why would his friend do that?_

_Freeze._

_What is he supposed to do?_

_Freeze._

_He needed to save his friend._

Time starts.

He starts sprinting towards the pond, mind spinning. Wondering.

He got to the pond and jumped in and started to look for his friend. He was frantically looking around. The pond wasn't that big. His friend had to be here. With that thought in mind, he kept searching until he couldn't hold his breath anymore. He went back to the surface, took a deep breath of air, before getting back to searching. He didn't know how long he was searching before he found his friend. He dragged his friend to the surface, onto the bank. His friend wasn't breathing, wasn't waking up.

He tried everything to try and get a response. Slapped him, gave him CPR. He ignored the voice that kept asking what happened, focusing on getting his friend back. It wasn't until his face was full of bushy brown hair and he was being rocked that he admitted to himself it was too late.

He had been too late. He had wasted seconds that could have saved his friend. He had hesitated. He had hesitated and lost sight of him and they had lost. Everyone had lost.

"He can't be dead," his broken voice came out. "He can't be."

"I know," she answered, a hitch in her voice as she tightened her grip. "I know."

They stayed like that for a little bit, hugging. United in their loss and not knowing what to say. There were no words. How could there be?

After they had both calmed down, and they had both begun shivering she took his hand and helped him up.

"We can't stay here."

He followed her listlessly, gently taking the body of his friend into his arms. He followed her back to the tent, and laid his friend out on the bed. The two stood next to each other, leaning on each other. Neither one was willing to lose contact with each other for fear of losing more.

"If he's dead, we lose."

Her voice was quieter than normal, flat. Her eyes were empty when she turned towards him and he knew that his eyes were the exact same.

"He can't die," she came again.

"What do we do? I was too slow," he answered, closing his eyes as his mind flashed through the events he had witnessed.

She took a breath.

"I might have an idea. It might be possible. But if we do it, there is no undoing it."

He looked at the body of his friend lying on the bed. His friend was paler than he had been in life, was clutching a sword in his hand with the necklace around his neck. He was too young to have died. Too young. And people needed him. They needed him alive and well. If he wasn't... if he wasn't it would be worse for the world.

"We don't have a choice. We need him," he whispered his answer, taking the sword and necklace off the body before stabbing the necklace. "The world needs him."

"One of us will need to sacrifice our life."

Another death. A crazy idea. A crazy idea for a crazy night in a crazy war in a crazy life in a crazy world. This time he didn't hesitate.

"Me. It will be me."

"What about your family?"

"They need him more. They will always need him more. And you can bring so much to the world."

"Ok. I'm sorry."

* * *

Harry and Hermione were caught by the Snatchers and sent to the Malfoy's and escaped with the help of Dobby. They had the misfortune of telling Bill that his brother had died. (Neither of them could look at the sword. Or even each other.) They found another horcrux, went to Hogwarts, and ended the war.

The Wizarding world had a hard time recovering from the end of the war. The Weasley's ended up losing both Ron and Fred. Molly never recovered. Arthur had more lines around his face and his eyes always looked weary. George became reclusive, having other people run his shop. Percy never recovered. He had never had a chance to reconcile with his younger brother. Ginny fell through cracks. Harry pushed her away, as she was a constant reminder of his best friend. Her siblings didn't find time for her. She eventually made her way back to being stable, although she never got her spunk back.

Hermione left Britain. She stayed for a few years, to finish school and help stabilize the country. However she was gone the minute Britain seemed able to get back on its feet. Rumor held that it was too painful for her and Harry to be around each other after the loss of their other third. She kept in contact with Molly and Arthur, and a few other friends. They told other friends she was in Egypt doing research with the Curse Breakers, learning the magic the Ancient Egyptians buried with their pharohs.

And Harry? Harry became an auror and fought dark witches and wizards and was a symbol for people to rally behind. He helped usher in the new age, and became the youngest head of the auror department. He was a good godfather to his godson Teddy. And the people loved him, said that without him they all would have fallen to the Dark. And for the rest of his natural life, Harry was a leader of the British Wizarding World.

* * *

And every time Ron saw the green eyes and messy black hair of his dead best friend he hated himself. Because he had hesitated and Harry had died. He had hesitated and almost caused the world to suffer forever. Because he hesitated and ruined his family. Because he hesitated. Because he lost.

Ron had lost his identity. He had lost his family because it hurt to be near them and not himself. He had lost his two best friends. After Hermione had done the dark ritual she had found while trying to find information on horcruxes neither of them could look at each other. It hurt to know that they were the only people who would ever know that Harry had died before the end of the war. And Harry was dead, frozen and drowned in the bottom of a pond for a stupid sword.

The British Wizarding World couldn't afford for Harry to be dead before the war, or right after the war. Harry was their symbol.

And they needed their symbol. More than Ron needed his family. More than Ron's family needed him.

The world needed Harry, so that's who Ron was. Because it was his fault he had hesitated and they were all in this position.

He should have been a better Gryffindor.

Like Harry.

* * *

Harry Potter married a foreign witch who moved to Britain and became an auror. They had two kids, James Sirius Potter and Lily Harriet Potter. People were confused, or thought that Harry was being a bit conceited, but he would just smile a smile that never reached his old and weary eyes and ignore the question. Harry lived for a long time, retiring from public life after a long and distinguished career as head auror.

He died surrounded by his family, and was buried at Hogwarts like Albus Dumbledore.

He became a hero and a legend.

* * *

Ron watched as James and Lily left his bedside. He wanted to tell them the truth. He was the only human who still knew. Hermione had died ten years earlier, a renown researcher who had never married. People whispered that she felt Ron was the only person for her and couldn't bring herself to marry after that. He wanted to tell someone the truth, that he wasn't Harry. He wasn't a Gryffindor. He had spent the rest of his life making up for the hesitation he had when he was seventeen. He had to be Harry, he had to fix his mistake.

But, Ron thought to himself as he closed Harry's eyes for the last time, the world didn't need to know. He had heard the burial plans. And Harry was already buried where he would want to be buried. With his parents. Where no one would gawk at him.

And besides. He was no Gryffindor. He wasn't brave, he wasn't daring and he definitely was scared. He was a pretender.

He may as well keep pretending.

After all, Ron Weasley lost himself when he hesitated upon seeing his best friend jump into a freezing pond and let him get away.

And he who hesitates is lost.

(If only he had been a perfect Gryffindor)


	14. Adversity makes Strange Bedfellows

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, things would have been different. Probably not as good.

*Please be aware that this chapter mentions events that might be triggering to people. Auror's are involved. There will be no detail, as I am unwilling to actually write scenes of that nature. There will be mentions of rape, torture, and other unpleasantness*

Also, swearing

* * *

Adversity makes Strange Bedfellows - Harry and Draco find themselves working together against a common enemy, and forge a friendship neither one wanted.

* * *

After the war, Draco Malfoy had decided he was going to try and atone for his mistakes. The best way to do that would be to work as an Auror. After all, he knew many of the people the Aurors were going after, having been forced to become a Death Eater. Granted, he got a lot of looks and snide comments and insults since he was working with a lot of people who viewed him as just as bad as many of the criminals they were chasing. Luckily, Draco agreed with and could pretend that everyone saying "Death Eater scum" around him were referencing all the bastards who had escaped death. Or Azkaban.

It was easier that way. Draco hadn't realized how frightening it was to be alone. Sure, his family had survived the war, but they hadn't come out unscathed. His father had been sent to Azkaban. He deserved it, even though Draco missed him. Lucius Malfoy had been his father, and had been his hero until everything fell apart. His mother had divorced his father, citing irreconcilable differences. Lucius believed in power, Narcissa believed in family. Lucius believed in bowing to insanity, and Narcissa was done with it. Neither one would talk to the other, and Draco felt torn between them. Crabbe was dead, Goyle was in Azkaban and Draco had no other friends.

At least two good things came from his time suffering under the Dark Lord. He was able to keep his mouth shut and take insults without exploding, and he realized that the path he had been on during school would lead to his destruction.

And maybe he had prayed to the ancient gods when Crabbe had set that room in the castle on fiendfyre that if he was allowed to live he would spend his life trying to make up for all the mistakes and crimes his family was responsible for. Harry Potter had saved him, and Draco was just confused enough over whether the ancient gods still existed that he figured it would be safer to do what he promised.

He was even learning about the Muggle world. Slowly. He had no idea they were so inventive.

All of that had lead to his current predicament. He was an Auror, and had helped bring in about twenty rogue Death Eaters or dark creatures that had served the Dark Lord. Some because of information he gave up to the department and some because he had turned out to be a damn good Auror. A damn good Auror who wasn't able to keep a partner for more than five months at a time.

To be fair, three of them had been unmarked sympathizers who made the mistake of commiserating with the 'poor Malfoy scion' trying to convince the world he had changed and being forced to work with Mudbloods. One had got himself blown up by not following proper procedure on a potions bust, and most of them asked for different partners, citing personal differences.

Twenty-one years old, and seven partners in the two years he had been an Auror.

"What was it this time? Wrong quidditch team?" Kevin Proudfoot, the Head of the Auror Department asked as Draco presented himself before him for partner reassignment, massaging his temples.

"Officially? No. This time it's because I don't like the Weird Sister song 'Do the Hippogriff'. Unofficially? I think I may have cursed him at Hogwarts, but I don't remember," Draco said, looking at the wall with his hands behind his back. Proudfoot just sighed.

"I'm running out of people to stick with you. Not that I'm complaining you turned in the Pureblood Supremacists we missed, or complaining about your work, but seven partners in two years is a bit... ridiculous," Proudfoot closed his eyes. "If only Davis hadn't got himself blown up."

Draco remained quiet, knowing that Proudfoot was just thinking out loud.

"Look, I have an Auror on assignment who needs a partner temporarily. His partner is going to be out for at least a few months. Hopefully knowing there is an end date will help. I really need this crime solved," Proudfoot said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Draco nodded.

"I'll do my best to solve this and get along with the Auror," Draco said.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Proudfoot said, his eyes zeroing in on Draco. This made him a little concerned, since Proudfoot had never acted like this before.

He was getting a bad feeling about this.

* * *

"No," Harry Potter said, as he looked from Draco to Proudfoot. "Isn't there anyone else?"

"No, and you damn well know it, Potter. Suck it up, it's only for a few months. The most important thing is catching this bastard before more innocents get hurt," Proudfoot said, glaring at Potter who glared back.

"What about Ron? Can't I work with him?" Potter asked.

"He's busy in Scotland on the case with Boot. They've been working it for three months, I'm not pulling either one of them off it now. There's no time to get someone up to speed on that case. The Brathford case is newer. Besides, that's his last case before he retires," Proudfoot fired back. "I'll leave you two to discuss the case."

Proudfoot left Draco and Potter staring at each other.

"I'm not any happier with this than you are," Draco pointed out after it was clear neither one wanted to speak first. Potter sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Personally, I'm just relieved it's not Weasley. Or Longbottom."

"Neville would probably hex you," Potter agreed with a sigh.

"Accidentally, of course," Draco added. "All we have to do is keep our interactions focused on work. Now, let's get this bastard and be done."

"Right, so Richard Brathford. He's been targeting muggleborns, as well as muggleborn students. He was a member of the DMLE before we figured out what he was doing. Robert Birch managed to survive the attack and provided us with the details of the attacker. His family was not as lucky. After that, other victims came forward with other disturbing tales. Some muggleborn women said he attacked and raped them, and some of his neighbors have come forward saying that they heard disturbing sounds coming from his house. A few muggleborn students have not returned to Hogwarts, and upon visiting the parents we have discovered they have no memories of them. He is considered to be dangerous," Potter said in a monotone voice.

Draco swore. He had heard rumors of missing students, and it was still recent after the war that muggleborns and half-bloods had problems coming forward to report crimes. Especially if they recognized or realized he was in the ministry, specifically the DMLE. "Any leads?"

"Neville and I went to his house, but we ended up running into a few...traps. Put Neville out of commission," Potter said. Draco nodded. "We've sanctioned it off, but I needed a partner to go back. Some pretty dark stuff up there. Right up your alley."

Draco ignored the dig at his past. Now wasn't the time. That, and he didn't have a good comeback. "Well, let's get started."

* * *

"What in Merlin's name did this guy do in our Department?" Draco asked, as he went to work on a runic array for one of the darkest wards he had ever seen, which was saying something considering how he grew up.

"Recently, he was desk bound. Recovering from a bust gone wrong a month or so back. People said he was itching to be a Hit Wizard," Potter said, leaning against the wall, waiting. Potter wasn't as proficient in Runes, and he had easily agreed that Draco was probably more familiar with possible wards.

"Shows. I'm pretty sure he invented the damn ward. This thing is brutal. Good thing Longbottom didn't wander into this one. He'd be dead in a second," Draco said, trying to find an easy way to disarm it. "Merlin, I think we're going to need a Curse-Breaker."

Potter groaned in irritation. "Great. Bill and Fleur are on vacation in France, and I don't know any other Curse-Breakers who would come immediately. The longer we leave this place untouched, the farther away the bastard can get."

"What about Granger?" Draco asked.

Potter stood still for a minute, and unreadable expression on his face. "She can't."

If Draco were younger and the war hadn't happen, he would have made some comment about Granger being too nosy and smart to resist. Or make some kind of insinuation that there were problems between the two, but he remained quiet. Something in the way Potter said that made it obvious that there was something wrong. Wasn't his place to ask.

"What about Lovegood?" Draco asked instead. The girl may have been odd, but she was a Ravenclaw.

"Don't know what country she's in right now. And I can't ask her to do this," Potter sighed.

"Great, so one of us needs to run to the Department of Mysteries for an Unspeakable," Draco said, frustrated.

"You go," Potter said immediately. "I don't want you here on your own."

Draco bit his tongue to avoid saying any biting comments or to yell at Potter. "Fine."

* * *

None of the Aurors liked to involve the Unspeakables. They had a tendency to treat everything as an academic question, even things better left untouched and forgotten. Like the bloody ward. If it wasn't imperative that they find the bastard quick, Draco would have gladly waited for the eldest Weasley. He stood outside the Department, waiting for someone to come out.

He had been waiting for half an hour, sure that some of it was because the Unspeakables were about as fond of the Aurors as the Aurors were of them. That, and Lisa Turpin, the one who had greeted him, hated his father with a passion. Understandable, since he was in for murdering her parents, but that wasn't helping the case get solved.

"Alright, you said that it was a newly created ward?" a voice came. Draco turned to see a young girl standing in front of him. He stared.

"You're an Unspeakable? Aren't you a bit, young?" Draco asked, surprised. The girl scowled.

"I happen to have been one of the top students of my year, thank you very much," the girl informed him. Something about her seemed to be familiar. "Where are we going?"

"Sorry, have to side-along apparate with you. Precaution," Draco said, reaching for her arm. The girl slapped his hand and rested her hand on his arm.

"Don't grab me," she said, right before Draco left.

Potter hadn't moved, which was a good thing in Draco's opinion. The last thing he needed was to have Potter die while partnered with him. The public would probably try and have him thrown in Azkaban for it. The girl removed her hand from Draco's arm as soon as she was able and moved to investigate the array. She whistled.

"Merlin's balls, this is nasty," she murmured, pulling a device out of her robes and looking at it. Potter moved closer to Draco.

"Okay, if an Unspeakable says it's nasty, I know it's trouble," Potter said.

"What, don't trust me?" Draco asked, forgetting who he was talking to a minute.

"No, no I don't," Potter said bluntly.

"Hey, you were the one who tried to kill me Sixth year," Draco said, forgetting himself.

"Boys, quiet," the girl demanded. Potter and Draco shut up, glaring at each other. "Son of a bitch. This bastard deserves worse than dementors."

"What?" Potter and Draco asked at the same time, forgetting to glare at each other.

"This is a Blood Magic ward."

Draco swore while Potter looked confused.

"What's wrong with Blood Magic wards?" Potter asked.

"What do you mean, what's wrong with Blood Magic wards? Haven't you learned anything about the wizarding world?" Draco asked. "They are the Darkest magic out there."

"When used incorrectly. Which it is, most of the time," the girl said, moving back after setting something up on the runic array. "In this case, this ward would only function if blood magic was used incorrectly."

"What's wrong?" Potter said again, glaring at Draco. "I'm pretty sure this wasn't really covered in any of the classes I took."

"Of course not. No one teaches blood magic in schools. It's dangerous!" Draco exclaimed.

"So is magic," Potter shot back.

"Not like this. Potter, my father balked at blood magic. Only the most deranged of the Death Eaters use or practiced it. It messes with you. Surely Weasley told you, or Granger read about it. How could you possibly not know this?" Draco asked. "Was it too dark for your pretty little head?"

The minute he said it, he knew he had gone too far. Potter just had the ability to rile him up. That, and knowing he was so close to blood magic was disturbing him.

"My house was protected with a blood magic ward."

Potter's voice was stone cold, and his wand hand was twitching. Draco swallowed, remembering that time in Sixth year he had just mentioned.

"Mother's sacrifice. Rare, I take it Professor Dumbledore placed it?" the girl said, diffusing the tension. Both Potter and Draco turned to her. "That's a correct use of blood magic. Blood magic generally requires a sacrifice, of blood generally. The amount differs. The higher the amount, the more likely the donator is to accidentally die. For some, the addition of more blood than required strengthens the wards or the spells. The abuse comes from unwilling donations that are taken from people. Generally an abuser of blood magic will sacrifice people. For your ward, it was probably the act of sacrificing herself and her blood running in your veins."

Potter shrugged, still glaring at Draco.

"Who are you?" Potter asked the girl, who was messing with something on her device.

"Astoria Greengrass, but you can call me Tori."

"Daphne's younger sister, right?" Draco said, realizing why she looked familiar.

"Mm. Step a bit farther away please," the girl said, not paying attention. Potter and Draco moved back, right before the runic array blew up. The ward flickered into existence and then died. Tori looked pleased, and continued forward. Draco put a restraining hand on her as Potter took the lead. Tori glared at him.

"Auror procedure. No civilians until we know it's safe," Draco explained. Tori snorted.

"Weren't you two stuck without me?" she asked. "I can take care of myself."

With that, she marched right past Potter and farther into the room.

"I hate Unspeakables," Draco muttered. Potter nodded in agreement.

* * *

"So, do you think Proudfoot would mind if we took him in dead?" Draco asked Potter.

The two of them were back at the office a few weeks later, having looked at their memories in the penseive for the five hundredth time looking for clues they may have missed. Richard Brathford was one of the worst wizards Draco had run into, and he had met many Death Eaters. They had caught up to Tori Greengrass to find her green in the face and trying not to vomit, and neither wizard could blame her. They had found a few of the missing students.

"We'd have to make it an accident. Cover ourselves for the public," Potter said, scowling.

"I'm sure we can think of something. Maybe we got in a fight and he was a casualty? Our history would support that," Draco said. Potter nodded absently, glowering at the reports the forensic magic had come up with.

"It's been to long since he's been in his house. No magical traces, place wiped clean of his essence. Bastard knows all our tricks," Potter complained. They had been trying to find him ever since getting into his house, but they hadn't found anything. No one had disappeared that they knew about, and the muggleborn students were in school at the moment so he wouldn't be able to get to them. "Desk was clean too."

"Wonder if the janitorial staff and maintenance fixed Proudfoot's wall."

Proudfoot had been none to pleased when he had been shown the house. Upon coming out of the memories, he had cursed a blue streak and thrown a reducto at the wall that had almost completely leveled it. Luckily the Auror department was warded since that was occasionally something that happened, but everyone had been walking on eggshells around him.

Draco and Potter had been informed that they no longer had months to spare, he wanted the bastard and he wanted him last year. As they left the room, Draco had muttered that he had had the bastard last year, and he could have sworn Potter fought off a smirk. Luckily Proudfoot hadn't heard him. With Proudfoot bearing down on the two of them, they had been forced to work overtime, and pull several other Aurors off other non essential cases, like Mundungus Fletcher's fifth robbery attempt that month.

"Found a way to trace the bastard," came a new voice. Tori Greengrass was standing in Potter's office wearing her Unspeakable robes. Her eyes had a hard glint and she sat down between the two boys.

"You do?" Draco asked. "Where was it two weeks ago?"

"Not yet invented."

"You invented a tracking method?" Potter asked, surprised. Tori nodded.

"That bastard is right up there with the Carrows. I want to see him...well, suffering at the very least."

"You did this in two weeks?" Draco asked for clarification. Tori glared at him.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"No, it's the fact the Department of Mysteries allowed you to work on it," Pottered answered. Tori looked a little uncomfortable at that.

"Well, they didn't. Not exactly. I was doing this in my spare time."

Draco looked at Tori with newfound respect, taking a sip of water. Most Unspeakables who were called in to assist with Aurors continued on their merry way afterwards. This was dedication.

"One catch," Tori said, looking between the two of them. "I want in."

"Will they let you?" Potter asked while Draco choked on the sip of water he had just taken.

"If I phrase it right," Tori shrugged.

Potter was nodding while Draco sputtered.

"Wait a moment," Draco said, and he dragged Potter out of the office. He turned around as soon as he closed the door and got in Potter's face.

"Are you insane? We can't let her come with us," he hissed. Potter looked surprised.

"Why not? This could be the break we need," Potter responded.

"She's a civilian! What if she gets hurt?"

"She's an Unspeakable, she'll be fine."

"She wasn't fine when she saw that scene at the house."

"Like you weren't affected."

"We trained for this."

"Unspeakable."

"She's barely out of school."

"And an Unspeakable."

"Her sister will kill me."

Potter stared at him incredulously.

"Are you afraid of Daphne Greengrass?"

"You do not get between Daphne Greengrass and her sister. Even Crabbe and Goyle knew that."

"Look, we can't afford to let this lead go. You know that. You're just going to have to hope she can take care of herself."

Draco stared at the wall as Potter went back into the office to tell Tori the 'good' news. He was just going to have to keep her in his sight the entire time. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't gotten enough sleep.

Back in the office, Tori was explaining her theory.

"Blood magic leaves a distinct trace. It's different from the essence of a wizard, which can be erased, but each ritual leaves a unique trace due to the different blood used. For example, the blood ward on Harry's house would have left a different trace if his father had been the one to sacrifice himself instead of his mother, even though it would have been the same ward. Blood magic seeps into a place, and there are specific rituals that have to be done to clear a place of it's effect if it has been done in massive amounts. In small amounts, the trace can dissipate after a time, but that isn't for several years. If you keep repeating the small amounts in the same place, it is the same as having done a massive amount at once. Now, since the magic is relatively new, the trace is still there. It should also still be on him. I was thinking that since we have access to the trace at his house, we could use that to locate any other places that share the concentration of that specific type of trace," Tori explained.

"How come no one had come up with that idea before?"

"Well, they have. It's just, no one could ever implement it. Most of the time, you don't know where or who the castor is, so you have to search everywhere and everyone. That uses up a lot of magic, and is impractical. However, since we know who the castor is, and have the trace, I came up with a device that should locate him specifically. If this works, I'll probably be able to get this into a project and make something that could be more widespread. Since he was a ministry employee, I was able to get access to his magical signature, which will be able to boost the devices ability to find him. If he is still in England, that is," Tori said, placing the device on the table. "All I need is to go to the house and get the blood trace."

Potter and Draco stared at her. "You did this in your spare time?"

"It's ugly and I brute forced it. Come on."

* * *

"I can't believe the damn thing worked," Draco muttered as he, Tori and Potter crouched down in the bushes outside of a small cabin. "It took five seconds."

"Amazement later, justice now," Tori said tersely, eyes watching the house. "There's a ward stone south of here, I can feel it. I'm going to disable it. Should be able to make it fall silently."

She disappeared before either Potter or Draco could tell her not to.

"She's quite a handful. No wonder Greengrass worried about her," Potter said, turning back to the house.

"Damn it, Potter. Now we have a civilian running loose. This is a horrible plan," Draco hissed. "I'm not letting any more innocents get hurt."

"She'll be fine. Unspeakable. Who knows what their training is like," Potter dismissed.

"They're a research group. A very secret research group, but a research group nonetheless. I knew Rookwood, and he was no fighter. The Dark Lord used him for research primarily."

"I'm sure she'll be..." Potter was interrupted by a scream. "Fine?"

The two Aurors ran towards the sound, only to find absolutely nothing.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Potter said, as Draco knelt down to examine something in the grass.

"Found the ward stone, but..."

There was a thump behind him, and Draco cursed. He spun around, keeping low to the ground but all he could see was a blue light coming towards him.

* * *

"Uh, that's it, I'm never drinking again," Draco muttered as he woke up. He was in a dark room that was definitely not his. He heard a groan from another person. "Potter, is that you?"

"Did we really let people sneak up on us?" came Potter's voice, disgruntled.

"I blame you for bringing along a civilian. Clearly it impaired me."

"I think it's your fault for not thinking she was able to take care of herself."

"Clearly she couldn't!"

"Wait, is she in here?" Potter asked. It sounded as if he was moving around, trying to find something. A hand smacked Draco in the face.

"That's me, Potter," Draco said, moving away. He hit a wall. "Wall behind me."

There was more scuffling. "Wall behind me too. I'm in the corner."

Draco moved to find a corner opposite where Potter's voice came from. "Me too."

"Rooms not big, didn't feel another body," Potter said, concerned.

"So we don't know where she is," Draco concluded, scowling. There were footsteps overhead, and then coming down a flight of stairs.

"Well, looks like our two guests are awake," A light flared, and both Potter and Draco shielded their eyes.

Richard Brathford looked from Draco to Potter. "Surprised the two of you were working the case together. I was even more surprised you managed to find me so fast."

"Well, you know us Aurors. Never sleep when there's crime to fight," Potter said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I know Aurors. Which is why I was surprised to find a civilian tampering with my array. Luckily that was a fake one filled with enough stored magic to mask the real one."

Draco wanted to curse. Of course someone who invented their own ward would have a safety measure. He probably had this place set up since he started his business.

"Anyway, I'm taking Malfoy here to have a little talk with. You, Potter, are going to stay right there and not do a thing when I open this cell."

"Why would I do that?" Potter asked, voice acidic.

"Because you're a hero and if you do I'll kill the bitch."

Brathford conjured ropes on Draco, before shackling Potter to the wall. Draco allowed himself to be taken out of the cell without fighting. He needed to make sure there were no other innocents in the building, and figure out what Brathford's game was. Brathford was none too gentle while dragging Draco up the stairs. Finally Draco was thrown in front of a chair. On the floor next to the chair was Tori.

She seemed to be alive, just unconscious. She had a bruise forming on her cheek, but other than that she seemed uninjured. Draco looked up at the person in the chair and gaped.

"Davies?!"

"Surprised to see me alive?" Roger Davies asked, smiling.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Draco asked, confused.

"Simple. We think the government is making a mistake," Davies said. "The Dark Lord had the right idea."

"You're a Pureblood Supremacist?" Draco clarified. "Aren't you a half-blood?"

"I'm not a Pureblood Supremacist. I just recognize that muggleborns and half-bloods who continue to have contact with the muggle world are a threat to wizards. The Dark Lord had the right idea in eliminating the problem, that the ministry wasn't working. He just went insane," Davies explained casually.

"What?"

"Come on Draco, you know the dangers. Muggles and Wizards need to remain entirely separate. Muggles hold the muggleborns back, get in the way of wizards. We need to eliminate the problem. The half-bloods and muggleborns who threaten our existence, keep us tied to the muggles."

"You're insane. What Brathford is doing isn't right. There are better ways to deal with this," Draco said. This was a position he had never expected to be in.

"I had high hopes for you Draco, that you would join us. You served the Dark Lord, hell I even remember how you acted at Hogwarts."

"I grew up, Davies. I realized it was wrong," Draco said.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Brathford."

Everything went dark.

* * *

"So, do I want to know how it went?" Potter's voice came after Draco groaned. He winced as he began to feel pain. It felt as if he had suffered from a crucio.

"Davies is alive."

"What?"

"Davies. Didn't die in the potions bust. Thinks we need to get rid of half-bloods and muggleborns who keep ties with muggles. Wanted me to join," Draco said. "Said no."

Potter was silent for a minute. "Why didn't you say yes? Probably could have surprised them and taken them down later."

"I'm trying to fix my mistakes. I'm not going to compromise my principles again, not after seeing what it got me the first time," Draco explained, annoyed. "Greengrass is alive. Seems mostly uninjured."

"Great. Did you see our wands?"

"No."

"Damn." Potter was silent for a little while before he spoke up again. "Did you say Davies looked down on muggles?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You aren't shackled, right?"

"No, guess they thought I'd be too hurt to move."

"Great. Get over here."

"Why?"

"I have muggle lock picks on me. Do you know how to use them?"

"Uh, I know the theory. I've been doing some research on muggles."

"Well it will have to do."

"Where are they?"

"My right pocket."

Draco dragged himself over to where Potter was, wincing as pain shot through his limbs. He reached into Harry's pocket, feeling around for it.

"This is awkward," Draco said, digging through the pocket. "How deep are these?"

"To the left more."

"Got it," Draco said. "Magically resistant?"

"Yeah, but I can cast a little light," Potter answered. Draco used the light and the lock picks to open the shackles. It took a little getting used to, but after ten minutes he was able to get Potter out of them. Potter rubbed his wrists, trying to get feeling back into them.

"Useful. I need to get myself a set," Draco commented, handing the lock picks back to Potter. Potter opened the cell door faster than Draco did the shackles, and the two of them were out of the cell, quietly sneaking around.

"We need to incapacitate Davies and Brathford, get Greengrass, and get back to Headquarters," Potter said quietly.

"We probably should have called Proudfoot instead of leaving a memo," Draco muttered, wishing they knew backup was on the way.

"We wouldn't have been able to use Greengrass' device," Potter replied.

"You're a monster," came Tori's voice. Potter and Draco quieted down, and peaked around the corner.

Tori was sitting, tied up, in front of Davies. Brathford was standing beside Davies, and another Auror was behind Tori.

"And I wanted to know how you managed to find us," Davies said, resting his chin on his hands.

"Like hell will I tell you," Tori spat. Draco clenched his fist when Brathford cast a crucio on her.

"Boss, why are we leaving Potter and Malfoy alive?" the other Auror, Peterson, asked while watching Tori thrash around.

"Their deaths make blood magic much stronger. So we'll keep them alive until we've developed that spell," Davies answered, before indicating to Brathford to lift the curse. Tori was panting, although she was able to spit at Brathford's feet.

"There are our wands," Potter whispered, nudging Draco and indicating a shelf across the room.

"I'm not the best at wandless magic, can you get them?" Draco muttered, eyes not leaving Tori's shuddering form.

"Yeah, need a distraction though," Potter said, since the wands were in sight of Davies.

"What the hell, life worked out well for you, so I guess I should take a page from your book," Draco said, breathing deep. Potter looked confused and was about to ask what he was planning when Draco straight up tackled Peterson to the ground.

"Bloody hell," Potter whispered, summoning the wands. "Malfoy, catch!"

Draco dodged the spell that Brathford shot at him, and caught his wand. He grabbed Tori and pushed her behind him, casting hexes at Brathford and Davies.

"Malfoy, untie me," Tori hissed, struggling with her bonds.

"Bit busy," Draco muttered, stunning Peterson while Potter dueled both Brathford and Davies.

"Could use a little help here, Malfoy," Potter called, dodging a sickly yellow spell while sending a bludgeoning hex at Davies.

Draco cast some hexes at Brathford and Davies, but didn't move since that would leave Tori open to attack.

"Seriously, Malfoy. Three on two is better odds," Tori hissed, still trying to untie herself.

"Malfoy, more help!"

"You beat the Dark Lord, how hard can they be?" Draco shot back. He ended up ducking an Avada Kedavra. "That's it."

Draco transfigured a stone wall around Tori despite her complaints, and joined Potter in fighting the two Aurors. Potter managed to get a solid hit, breaking Davies' knees. Brathford continued to fight both Draco and Potter after Draco kicked Davies' wand away from him. Potter got the tail end of a bludgeoner to the leg and stumbled. Brathford took the opportunity to shoot a slicing hex at him.

"Potter, look out!" Draco managed to knock him out of the way when Potter didn't move fast enough, wincing as he felt his arm get cut open. As the two were struggling to untangle themselves behind Potter's shield, Brathford turned to the transfigured stone walls protecting Tori.

"Finite," he said, pointing his wand at the walls. Draco struggled to get his wand pointed at Brathford, trying to not pass out from the pain and blood loss. Tori was yelling at Draco while Brathford pointed his wand at her neck. "Lac..."

Draco didn't even speak, just slashing his wand as hard as he could. Brathford didn't even know what hit him and he fell to the ground, dead.

Draco lowered his wand, his ears ringing and blocking out most noise. Tori seemed to be screaming and yelling, eyes wide. Looking behind him, Draco noticed that Davies had retrieved his wand and was pointing it at him. All Draco could do was watch, just barely holding on to consciousness. If this was how he was going to go, not a bad way to die. At least he took Brathford with him.

Potter's wand flashed and the spell hit Davies. Draco recognized the results as the spell used on him Sixth year. Potter's head was then in his field of view, mouthing moving and trying to get Draco himself to move.

"'Course the last person I see is you, Potter," Draco said thickly, before passing out into oblivion.

* * *

Oblivion didn't last forever. Draco woke up to his mother sitting by his bedside in Saint Mungo's, crying and furious and proud of him. Peterson had apparently confessed to everything after seeing what had happened to Brathford and Davies. Potter had managed to stabilize him by using some spell that Tori had shouted at him before freeing Tori and trying to send her for reinforcements. While he was recovering, he received a visit from Proudfoot, who yelled at him for making a rookie mistake and getting caught, Daphne Greengrass who, after yelling about getting her sister involved in a violent crime, thanked him for saving her, and even Potter who ducked in to tell him about Peterson before hastily leaving.

He was stuck in the hospital for three weeks, since the cut on his arm had been resistant to direct magical healing. Luckily he managed to avoid most of the paperwork. Unluckily, Potter had saved him some for when he got out of the hospital. As soon as he got out, he headed to work to grab the paperwork to take home. He was about to leave the office when he ran into Potter again.

The two of them stared at each other.

"Thanks for knocking me out of the way," Potter said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"First time I was glad to see that spell cast," Draco responded, not being able to help the wince as he remembered how painful it was Sixth year.

"Greengrass was by. Wanted to see how you were doing. They're letting her work on the project," Potter said after a few awkward seconds.

"She told you?"

"No, she said she couldn't tell me about the project," Potter and Draco shared a laugh at that.

"Working with you wasn't half bad Potter," Draco said as Potter turned around to leave. He turned back at that, a faint grin on his face.

"Sometimes you aren't half bad yourself."

Draco smiled as he left the office, until he ran into someone who was waiting right outside.

"Careful, don't want to reopen the wound," Tori said. She fidgeted a little, before handing Draco a piece of parchment. "Someone needs to teach you how to protect yourself better. You don't have any protective runes on gear. If you don't call, I'll sic my sister on you."

Draco looked at the piece of paper as Tori left to return to the Department of Mysteries. Smiling, Draco folded the piece of parchment in half and placed it in his pocket. He had a little bit of a skip in his step as he returned home. His mother, who had decided that Draco was staying with her until she felt he was better looked up and asked him what he was so happy about.

"Nothing. I just have an appointment with someone who is going to teach me runes."

* * *

"Potter, Malfoy, sit down," Proudfoot had called the duo in together as soon as Malfoy was back on the job. Potter hadn't been assigned another major case, instead dealing with paperwork and Mundungus Fletcher's tenth through seventeenth drunk and disorderly conduct that month. The two sat down across the desk from Proudfoot. He looked the two over.

"While I'm not happy that two of the three ended up dead, I am glad that you two managed to solve the case and get the crook. I'm even happier you both survived. Peterson took a deal, so this isn't going to trial. Now that I've chewed you out and you've finished your punishment time for allowing a civilian to go with you," At that both Potter and Draco glanced at each other confused. He hadn't done any of that. "Guy upstairs likes your work. Wants you to keep it up. I have a proposition for you."

Draco and Potter waited for him to go on.

"Longbottom's decided he wants to retire. Sprout's retiring from teaching, so the herbology spot is open. We all know Longbottom's the best with plants. That leaves Potter without a partner. I was going to assign him to Boot since Weasley's retired as well, but this case changes things. I want you two to consider being partners going forward. You two do damn good work, and neither one of you has complained about the other once. Well, besides Potter moaning about being left alone for most of the paperwork," Proudfoot leaned back in his chair while the two took in what he said.

"I suppose the assignment wasn't too bad," Potter said cautiously.

"True, you didn't try to recruit me into your pureblood supremacy group," Draco allowed, cracking a small grin that Potter shared.

"And we've already had our major disagreements and tried to harm each other. It's all in the past," Potter added. "Another few cases couldn't hurt."

"Good, it's settled then. Here's your next case. Hopefully we won't discover any more budding conspiracies in the Auror department. Now get back to work," Proudfoot said, pointing out of the office. Potter and Draco left, going back to Potter's office to look over the case.

"Who would have thought we'd end up fighting dark wizards together?" Draco asked after they had familiarized themselves with the newest case.

"Not me, definitely not before the last case. What a strange pair we make," Potter said, smiling. Both were quiet for a minute.

"No one's ever going to let us live this down," Draco said. Potter nodded.

"Especially not the getting captured."

The two got back to the case. Draco couldn't help but keep smiling. Life was looking up. Finally.


End file.
